Trust Me
by bumblebee88888
Summary: In a world where vampire venom does not kill a wolf, what happens when Jacob is bitten by Victoria and Edward finds him? A story of reluctant friendship and trust at the deepest level. Takes place at the end of New Moon. Not slash. Please R and R.
1. Prologue

A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you for taking the time to click on my story and have a read. I truly hope you find my fanfic interesting and entertaining. This fanfic takes place just after Jacob, Edward and Bella meet in the forest at the end of New Moon. But before you begin reading, there are a few things I wish to address before you begin reading, so I hope you will take the time to have a squiz at these before continuing to the prologue.

Disclaimer: Firstly, I wish to say that the characters and some of the plot lines depicted in my story are not of my creation, but that of Stephenie Meyer. Although, there are some scenes and plot lines that came from my imagination, the foundation of these are based around the world Stephenie created in her Twilight Saga novels.

Reviews: I ADORE reviews. I love hearing what my readers think. Whether they are full of praise or constructive criticism, I make every effort to reply to every review I receive. So please, please take the time to leave me a review at the end of every chapter; I really value your opinions and comments.

This fanfic: is something I have been working on for most of 2011. It is a 'what if' scenario I thought of one night. As the brief summary outlines on the website, this fanfic centres around Edward and Jacob. Please note that this is NOT a slash fic, but one of friendship, hurt, comfort and quite a bit of emotional angst. If this is something you are not interested in reading, please do not begin. When I write, I often like to keep my fics as close to canon as I can. I have striven to do this with 'Trust me', however the only aspect of Stephenie's world that is drastically changed in mine is that vampire venom does not kill werewolves. As to what it does do, well you'll need to read to find out! =P

Nevertheless, this should give you a little idea of what to expect from my fanfic, and I hope you will enjoy it! Most of the story is told from either Edward's or Jacob's perspective (with occasional input from other characters). In later chapters, I write some of my favourite moments from Eclipse and Breaking Dawn from either Edward or Jacob's perspective, so I hope you enjoy those (though keep in mind the events from my fanfic will influence how these particular scenes will be retold). Finally, I wish to say that this fanfic is almost complete (I have one more chapter to write), but am only putting up one chapter at a time (I will post every week around this time). This fanfic is 24-25 chapters long, each chapter is between 10 to 15 A4 pages, single spaced (excluding the Prologue which is much shorter). Having said this, I am still open to suggestion, and am happy to add in any scenes or conversations you would like to see written from a different character's perspective.

About me: I imagine a lot of you will first see this fanfic because you have put me on your 'Author Alert'. Thank you so much for doing that, it always makes me smile when someone has put me on their alerts list. For those of you who have never read a fic of mine, I thought I would let you know that prior to now, I have only written Harry Potter fanfics. I apologise in advance to anyone who is a fan of Harry Potter, who was hoping this would be another HP fanfic. For the moment, I have stopped writing in the world of Harry Potter, but I do have some ideas brewing!

Hence, this is my first Twilight fanfic and regret to say that I have had little time to read other author's Twilight fics (except for 'All Grown Up' by VanessaWolfe- an amazing fanfic, I highly recommend it!).

Anyway, enough of my rambling on; I hope you enjoy the prologue and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Trust Me- Preface

Jacob's POV

My howl echoed off the trees as I sprinted into the forest. All I could think about was the person I was leaving behind: Bella.

The last three days have been a torturous hell. While Bella was in Italy facing mortal peril, I was stuck in La Push attempting to find the allusive red-haired vampire. Victoria was no longer important to me when I knew Bella was elsewhere facing far worse. My brothers were becoming fed up with my constant preoccupation with the girl I love- I could see their annoyance in their thoughts, but was grateful they did not speak to me about it. It wasn't like they weren't also angry that the bloodsuckers had left Bella to suffer cruelly, to then be welcomed back by Bella with open arms, to then be expected to travel half way around the world to rescue the one who deserved to die most. It made no sense to us, and to think that she was risking her life to save the bloodsucker made my blood boil to no end. Words cannot begin to describe my relief when I heard she had survived- though it was slightly dampened by the knowledge that she saved her bloodsucking partner too.

I was certain she would visit me soon.

No such visit came.

And tonight, Edward was so 'grateful' that I was there for Bella when he was not (the bastard), yet refused to even let me say goodbye to her? After discovering I may lose her forever to _their_ way of 'life', I was not even permitted one final farewell? A hug? Wasn't it obvious that Bella wanted to say goodbye too? Urgh! Grateful my arse!

I couldn't see properly through the tears that began to fall when I thought of the injustice of it all, as I continued to propel towards La Push. I was thankful that all of my brothers were eating dinner at Emily's tonight; it allowed me to clear my head without anyone impeding on my privacy. More importantly, if they knew I was upset about Bella, then Leah at least would have something to say about it. Yes, I was definitely grateful for their absence. It was my night to patrol the area; Embry and Paul were to join me after dinner, a precaution which I thought was unnecessary; we hadn't found any trace of Victoria for days.

Suddenly a disturbing image filled my head so powerful that I felt sick to my stomach. My image of Victoria suddenly changed into one of Bella, with red eyes and stone-like features and a putrid smell that even in my imagination was too all-consuming for me to bear. I tried to erase the image from my mind and let out a cry in anguish when I realised I couldn't. I would lose my Bella forever. Things could not end this way for us.

Before I knew what I was doing, I felt my paws dig into the soil beneath me. I looked around and realised I was only meters away from the boundary that separated La Push from the vampire territory, but I didn't cross it.

My mind suddenly erased the disturbing image I had conjured before and was replaced with Bella's face- the expression she wore during those short seconds before the bloodsucker pulled her away. Who was he to tell her who she could or could not talk to? I was so intent on hugging her and whispering in her ear that I loved her, and beg her to love me enough not to become a vampire, only for that opportunity to be ripped out from my grasp. I would give anything for a final chance to save her… and myself.

Although it was a foolish hope, I continued to stand at the border under the shade of a tree, in the hope that the bloodsucker would have allowed Bella to chase after me.

I barked angrily and made a claw mark in the tree, my paw smashing against the bark in frustration. Who was I kidding? Neither of them cared for me now- things were just as they were at the beginning of this year except now I was in love with Bella. No one seemed to care about how Bella sank into what felt like an eternal depression- I shuddered to think where she would be now if it weren't for me… and this is how I am repaid? I hope Charlie punishes that creature for what he did- if I ever saw the bloodsucker again, I swear I will kill him for what he did to Bella.

I paced the borderline, keeping my nose alert for Bella's scent as I moved. It was dark now and a few of my brothers had phased and had mentally joined me in my repetitive thoughts.

_She will come, she will come. _

No one bothered to ask me to whom I was referring; they all knew. After an hour or so, they apparently grew sick of my behaviour- I was no fun anymore- so they left to be with more cheerful people or to otherwise gossip about me. I didn't care which.

My impatience was starting to consume me. Surely Charlie would not have prevented Bella from seeing me? It was evident that he preferred me to Edward by far. But would Bella be bothered to ask him, when she had the 'man' she wanted in that bloodsucker of hers? Would Edward even let her go if she begged him?

I snorted.

_Doubtful_.

Now that I had kept her alive that's all he needed from me. I cringed when I realised that I had done him a favour, though that was not my intention. But of course, I wouldn't have done anything differently had I known how this would all turn out…

It was in that moment that I realised that I would never win Bella over this way; standing aside and waiting for her would achieve nothing. I would need to chase after her- constantly remind her that _I_ would never hurt her, that she will lose me and her family if she stayed with the bloodsucker and his coven. If Edward was 'incapable' of leaving without Bella's permission, then I would somehow encourage Bella to order him away- it would improve both of our lives. Of course I knew it may not work, but in order to succeed, doubt could not be on my mind, only the rewards of success.

My head had been so full of these thoughts that it was only when I began sprinting back towards Bella's house that my nose stung with a disgustingly sweetened smell and I realised I was not alone. I felt a sharp and powerful force bite down on the nape of my neck. I howled in pain and tried to keep myself together- I could not phase back into my human form; I needed to fight. But when I felt my entire body collapse to the ground, and my head smash into the tree root beneath me, I knew I had not succeeded. I was human again, blood was pouring out of my neck, I felt dizzy, and Victoria was standing over me. I could barely breathe. The red head was smiling sweetly at me as if I was a new toy for her to play with, yet the way her lips were pursed suggested that she was not about to continue feeding on my blood. Why, I could only guess. But one thing was for certain- I would soon be dead.

I could hear paws pounding against the ground, their rhythm getting faster and faster- their owners barking loudly. A couple of my brothers must have heard my cry. Victoria seemed torn between self-preservation and ensuring my death. Within a split second, she decided her own life was more important than the end of mine. I watched her sprint to the north, sticking to the boundary. I saw Paul and Embry chase her some 20 meters away from me. I hoped someone would find me, but even if they did it would be too late. I gritted my teeth in anxiety and in an attempt to block out the painful throbbing in my head. I closed my eyes and tried to take deep breaths as I moved my hand slowly towards the back of my neck. I cried out when I felt my blood oozing from a wound that was definitely a bite mark. I left my hand there and lay back on it, hoping that it would stem the flow of blood eventually, but without any true hope. Lying down on the ground, my chest heaved in sobs- I was terrified. Although I felt fine for the moment, I had no idea what the venom would do to me. I felt clammy with panic, my heart pounding in anticipation- I felt faint even though I was lying down. What if I turned into one of them? I couldn't go home- I didn't want to endanger my family- my pack. I would just have to wait to find out my fate, but given everything that had happened today, I had no desire to live long enough to find out.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the prologue! If I receive a few reviews, I will post up chapter 1 to get the ball rolling into the main story So please, please, please review! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I look forward to hearing what you think!


	2. Chapter 1 Hurting

Author's note: Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed and added this story to their alert or favourites. It means a lot to me to know that already so many of you are interested to read more! So here is the first proper chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1- Hurting

Edward's POV

I haven't known Charlie for long, but I am almost certain that he has never spoken for as long as he did when we returned to his home. I could sense his fury from the forest and knew we were in tremendous trouble for not obeying his orders sooner. Upon our return, I was ordered to leave. The moment I saw his mind, I knew he would attack me if I didn't make myself absent; his hair was standing on end and his hands were shaking. I obeyed without hesitation, for his safety and Bella's, rather than my own. I didn't go far, of course, and was still able to see Bella being dragged by the wrist into the kitchen.

After much yelling, multiple assertions that Bella was never to see me again, and her status of being permanently grounded, Bella was allowed to retreat to her room. She did this in style- loud stomps as she escalated the stairs and a tremendous slam of the door. Charlie was satisfied that he seemed to have made his point.

_I hope you've learnt your lesson, Bella. _

I slowly crept my way towards Bella's now open window and wondered how Charlie would react if he were to discover that there was no possible method he could use to keep Bella from me now. Of course, that was a situation I was not willing to explore, but it was nevertheless amusing to consider momentarily as I jumped up a nearby tree. Yet, having said that, I understood the man's position- his thoughts had been echoing in my mind for the last hour after all, and of course if I were in his situation, my reaction would have been similar.

When Bella saw me enter, I was hoping to see her reasonably content despite what I had just overheard. Indeed, she smiled but the corners of her mouth didn't fully meet her eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked sympathetically, assuming that I must be wrong; the confrontation with Charlie had stirred her.

She nodded into my chest as she wrapped her arms tightly around me.

"Your father was terrified for you- he reacted that way because he loves you," I tried to soothe her, but it didn't seem to help, she was still lost in thought.

"I know…"

"Bella, what is it?"

Bella looked up from my chest and I was shocked to see tears in her eyes. Although being grounded for life was a severe punishment, I could not quite blame Charlie just yet for this conviction. Although I hoped he wouldn't persist with it for too long, I knew that Bella and I would still get to see each other at night and at school. And of course, Charlie and Bella love each other in their own way- they will mend their relationship soon enough. So why was Bella so upset and distracted?

I smiled to myself. _Perhaps this isn't about me._

"I'm grounded," Bella whispered tearfully.

"I know, but we will still get to see each other at school and at night, just like we are now," I consoled her, squeezing her gently to remind her that not even her father could take her away from me.

"It's not that," Bella replied as she pulled away from me and sat on her bed. "I- I…" she began, but then for whatever infuriating reason, she didn't finish her sentence. Instead, a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

It was times like these I wished I could hear her thoughts.

I moved to sit next to Bella on her bed and held her hands between mine.

"Bella, is there something- anything I can do?" I begged, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"No- it wouldn't be fair."

"What wouldn't be fair? Bella, after everything that you have suffered because of me, I would do _anything_ for you, now and forever," I said seriously, stroking her hair.

Bella bit her lip. Then pressing her face into my chest again, she mumbled into my skin:

"I want to see Jake."

I stiffened, though only momentarily.

Bella of course felt the change in my body, and retreated slightly, her eyes wary but pleading.

"Bella, I cannot run you to La Push- if Charlie discovers you are gone, he will most certainly go insane and shoot me. I am not exaggerating," I said seriously, looking directly into Bella's eyes to demonstrate how serious I was being.

"I know," Bella whimpered. "I want to see him, but I know I can't. I was hoping that maybe you could find him and- and tell him I've been grounded, and I'm sorry…" she trailed off under my gaze.

But I was not angry, but contemplative. Of course, if this was what Bella wanted, I could quite easily search the surrounding area- it wouldn't be hard to sniff Jacob out. But if I were to speak to him, which I would have to do to give him Bella's message, I couldn't guarantee either of our safety.

"Jacob was very upset when he left-" I began delicately.

"Because you didn't even let us say goodbye!"

I was shocked by Bella's tone. I knew I wasn't doing the right thing by neither Bella nor Jacob by dragging the former away… I tried to use Charlie's anger as a cover up for my behaviour, but evidently I did not pull it off as well as I had hoped. I responded in line with Bella's perception of my behaviour; there was no point in pretending.

"He was planning to convince you that you love him more- I won't let him-"

"I don't care what he was going to say, Edward! He's my best friend, and I wanted to thank him for looking out for me when you were gone," Bella cried, a fresh wave of tears starting.

Of course Bella had made an excellent point and for perhaps the first time in my life, my jealously had overpowered common courtesy and gratitude towards Jacob, who is perhaps the only reason why Bella is still roughly whole.

I pulled Bella into my lap and ran my fingers through her hair as I kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry. I see now that I should have let you say goodbye- I should have known that Charlie would have grounded you, which would have prevented you from seeing Jacob. I suppose I was not as focused as I should have been," I admitted, hoping that I had done some good by admitting my part in all of this. "I owe both of you more than that."

Bella shifted slightly, so I helped her turn around to face me. I was glad to see that she had stopped crying.

"Then could you please find him and tell him what has happened? Tell him that I promise I will visit him as soon as I can."

"Of course." And I was sincere, though how I was going to be able to speak to an angry werewolf, I was uncertain.

As if she could hear my thoughts, Bella said.

"If Jake is still upset, just run away- I think you'd be faster than him?" she asked uncertainly.

I nodded. "For now." When Jacob increased in size, an inevitability I had to accept, I wouldn't be so sure.

"I don't want you to get hurt, and I don't want you to hurt Jake. If you can speak to him, please do, but if you can't, that's okay."  
>"I will try another time." I insisted.<p>

Bella nodded, looking a lot more relaxed now.

"Thank you for understanding, Edward," she whispered giving me a hug. "I'll miss you."

"I will miss you too, Bella. I will be back before you know it."

I felt Bella's warm lips on mine, eventually having to drag myself away from them in order to embark on my errand. As I walked over to the window sill, I saw the look in Bella's eyes that clearly showed how much she was relying on me to deliver her message, which would, I had no doubt, reduce much of her guilt and fears. Vowing to myself that I would find Jacob Black tonight, I leapt down from Bella's window and blew a kiss up to her, which she caught in the palm of her hand. Then turning away from Bella, I ran off into the night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edward's POV continued…

I had been searching for Jacob for roughly half an hour before I finally found him. He was about fifty meters away from me, and as far as I could tell he had no idea I was there- yet. I stood completely still and took in the scenery. We were only steps away from the borderline that separated my family's territory from that of the wolves. If Jacob had been thirty or so meters to his left, I would not have been able to touch him. But he was still on the vampire's side of the boundary… why? The forest was peaceful; the only sound I could hear was Jacob's breathing and his thoughts, which were preoccupied with Bella. I tried to ignore these as I looked at the boy himself. He had his right arm lifted up so that his hand could be used as a pillow under his neck. His other hand was resting on his bare chest. It was only then that I realised that the bottom half of his body was not clothed. I was tempted to run home to grab one of Emmett's pair of shorts, but I didn't know whether Jacob would still be here when I returned. Besides, why was he naked? It was only then that I remembered the shredded items of clothing that were left behind when he phased as he left Bella and myself hours earlier. I never really considered it, but it made sense that werewolves could not possibly be wearing clothes the moment they became human again. Nevertheless, even though Jacob was naked, this did not increase my confidence in being able to speak with him. But I could not turn back now; I had to fulfill my promise to Bella, and only then would I leave. Grabbing the largest leaf I could find from a nearby tree, I began to walk slowly towards Jacob.

After five steps, I was certain the wolf knew I was there. Although his thoughts froze only momentarily before thinking about Bella again, his crinkled nose and the disgust in his eyes, indicated to me that he could smell me and knew exactly who I was.

"Jacob?" I said calmly, still walking at a slow pace (even for a human).

He did not turn to look at me- in fact, he said nothing at all, until:

_LEAVE ME ALONE!_

Jeez.

"I know you do not wish to be disturbed, least of all by me," I replied as I leaned down with my head turned away from him to give him the leaf I was holding. I listened to every movement the boy made in case he attacked whilst I had my head turned.

But Jacob did not take the leaf and remained still.

"No longer have your gift?" Jacob spat at me.  
>"Excuse me?" I was stunned by his question.<p>

"I told you to 'leave me alone'. Which part did you not understand, or didn't you hear me?" Jacob continued, his tone dangerous. He was furious.

I smiled a little, in spite of knowing it would likely make the situation worse. "I heard you very plain Jacob- your assertion almost deafened me." I was now looking at Jacob's face to force myself to forget why I was holding the leaf.

"Why are you still here? You will ruin my training!" Jacob yelled in a surprisingly controlled voice.

It was only then that I saw images in Jacob's mind as he visually showed me what he was doing. While it didn't explain why he was quite literally naked, I could see that two of his brothers were attempting to find him using their sense of smell. Tracking, it seemed like.

"I will not keep you long," I responded to the image. "Bella asked me to find you."

"I don't care why you have come Bloodsucker! My brothers will not be able to find me with your stench here!" Jacob snapped back.

"I promise to be quick," I persisted.

Jacob moved awkwardly and I wondered why he was lying down in such an uncomfortable position. I didn't bother asking though- his silence was giving me what few moments I had to speak.

"Bella has been permanently grounded (until Charlie says otherwise), so she is not allowed to go anywhere except to and from school, and her phone has been confiscated. But-" I paused for a moment, to make sure Jacob was listening, which I felt he was, though his thoughts were rather scattered. "Bella was hoping to be able to see you to give you a proper goodbye."

I heard Jacob's heart rate increase, but couldn't tell whether it was due to his feelings for Bella or his anger towards me.

"Right. Well I don't want to see her- she's chosen her side."

My eyebrows rose. I was not expecting this.

"You are still her best friend, and I know she misses you," I said quietly, kneeling down a little closer to the wolf.

"Who cares? One day she will-" I watched Jacob's Adam's apple move as he gulped. "She will become a bloodsucker too…" he continued, but not as if he were angry about Bella's fate, but frightened. I was highly confused, but his mind did not give me any indication of his feelings- they were focused on 'his' human Bella.

I was expecting Jacob to speak more, but he was suddenly distracted again, his thoughts wandering in the direction of his brothers who should have found him by now.

"You want me to leave?" I asked.

"If that's all you have to say," he replied, looking up at the sky.

"Actually, I wish to apologise for my behaviour earlier this evening. I should have given you the time and space to say goodbye to Bella- I can see that you have become close whilst I was away. It is thanks to you that she is still alive. It was rude of me. I am sorry, Jacob," I said, trying to catch Jacob's visual attention, but he never turned his head- always staring up at the sky.

"Ungrateful bastard," Jake mumbled under his breath, though of course, I heard him.

"I _am_ sorry," I said quietly, but sincerely.

"Whatever." Then Jacob dismissed me. His heart began to race again, and I wondered why, given that he was thinking about his brothers. Was he worried about them? I moved around the boy as he continued to lie flat on the ground. I kept my gaze firmly on his face. He watched me like a hawk as I moved, but he did not get up and did not move his head.

How strange…

I felt my brows pull together as I watched him watch me.

He was afraid. His thoughts now indicated he was thinking about Bella becoming a vampire, but his face gave a different story- he feared... something else…

"Are you well?" I asked him carefully, now standing on his left side with my back to the boundary line.

"I thought you were leaving." It was not a question, but a demand.

"Prior to seeing you I was worried that perhaps I would have to run from you… I was expecting you to be angry, but you are unusually calm," I pointed out, however carefully.

"I'd be no use to my brothers if I phased to kill you," he replied, not looking at all amused by this idea as I thought he would be. But he wasn't fooling me; there was more to his story.

"I see. So you are perfectly comfortable lying down that way? I didn't think it would be necessary for you to be utterly stationary, let alone naked," I enquired seriously.

"Since when do you care for my comfort? You gave me Bella's message- leave," Jacob hissed dangerously.

I knelt beside Jacob, but he did not turn his head- I didn't know much about werewolves (yet), but I knew the boy before me would not have been willingly to lose sight of me when I sitting so close to him. And finally, I came to a stunning realization:

"You have been hiding your thoughts from me," I said simply and clearly, trying to keep the shock out of my voice. "Why?"

"I have nothing to hide from you," Jacob snapped back aggressively.  
>"Then why am I able to kneel here? I would have expected you to push me, punch me- anything to express the anger I know is inside of you."<p>

"I am trying to master my control," Jacob mumbled through gritted teeth; evidently he _was _trying to control his temper.

But despite his efforts, I found myself laughing.

I heard Jacob's heart rate increase with anger (I was certain of it this time).

_Shut up!_

I froze. I tried to keep those words in my mind. At first I thought his tone was that of anger… but it was of despair. About what? Bella's fate? About his apparent 'control'. I still wasn't buying it.

"Even if you refuse to let me into your _true_ thoughts, I will still find out what is wrong with you," I threatened, however mildly. His determination to hide his mind from me only functioned to increase my motivation to seek the truth.

Without even waiting for his reply, I stood up and smelled the air. I could smell a few deer off into the distance and a very potent flower some two meters away. I bent lower near Jacob's face, but was then distracted by the fact that Jacob was holding his breath; he was trying to block out my scent. I watched his face, waiting for him to reveal to me his secret. I watched as his dark lids moved over his eyes as he struggled to breathe. His thoughts were messy- flitting in between Bella, his brothers, and something red… all of them coloured with the same air of despair as before.

"Jacob?" I asked hurriedly, trying to coax him into opening his eyes, but he didn't respond to me.

Then suddenly, as if his bones were on fire, Jacob screamed louder than I had ever heard a human being yell.

In that moment of agony, Jacob's control over his thoughts was lost, allowing me to see what I needed to see: Jacob pulling his bloodied hand away from the back of his neck.

Immediately I sprang into action- Jacob was no longer my girlfriend's best friend or a werewolf, but someone I could possibly save.

"Jacob!" I yelled over his screaming. He didn't hear me though, so I waited until he took a breath, as difficult as that was for him; I could hear his lungs struggling for air. In the meantime, I placed my hands on his shoulders, his skin burned against mine, but he didn't seem to notice me touching him as he continued to scream in agony. I tried to lift him up to get a glimpse of what I can only assume to be a vampire bite, but I was reluctant to lift him- perhaps there was more he hadn't told me?

Jacob was then taking deep, laboured breaths, so I took my chance.

"Jacob, look at me," I demanded, my hands still firmly on his shoulders. Now that I was basically on top of the boy, he had no option but to look me in the eye now. Tears of pain were sparkling in his eyes- to say he looked frightened would be a gross understatement. "I need to look at the bite," I said seriously and with authority.

_No._

"I am stronger than you, I will force you if I must," I reasoned with him calmly. "Is there anything else that has happened this evening that you should tell me?"

Jacob swallowed, then closed his eyes again; he was thinking about the pain he experienced when he fell and hit his head. I nodded my understanding.

"I will help you," I assured him.

_NO!_

But I ignored his protests, moved behind Jacob, held his head with one hand as I lifted him up with the other. The boy's right hand was practically glued to the bite due to the dried blood. I carefully moved his hand and was slightly alarmed by the amount of blood that stayed connected to his palm and fingers, as well as the little pool on the ground… Bella didn't bleed nearly this much.

The smell of blood was filling my nostrils. I had never smelt werewolf blood before, so it was only now that I realised that it was nowhere near as pure smelling as human blood, undoubtedly due to a survival mechanisms the wolves have developed in their DNA.

I now had Jacob sitting up, which was proving to be very difficult for him, so I held him steady. I examined the wound- definitely a vampire bite.

"Victoria?" I asked.

_Yeah. _The poor boy was having difficulty breathing again, but at least now I understood what the red thing I saw in Jacob's mind was moments ago.

"Deep breaths, Jacob," I whispered into his ear. I was shocked when I felt Jacob's warm skin under my hand, and realised that I had reacted to his pain by rubbing his back.

I was expecting Jacob to demand I take my hands off him, but he did not- the only thought in his mind was pain. I hoped it would cease for a moment, so I could ask him some questions before I attempted to suck the venom out of his wound. After all, I had no idea what affect vampire venom has on werewolves. Furthermore, his pain did not appear to be immediate like it is with humans- exactly how long had passed between Jacob being bitten and me arriving? And what happened to Victoria? So many questions and far too little time…

Author's note: Hopefully you will have something to say about this chapter *prays for lots of reviews*. Thanks again for reading, my next update will be on Sunday. Until then, take care


	3. Chapter 2 Resistance

Author's note: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed Chapter 1 and told me what you think of the story so far- it means a lot to me to know that so far you guys are loving it! I hope you enjoy this chapter and remember to review when you're finished!

Chapter 2- Resistance

Edward's POV

Much to my surprise, Jacob was given respite from the fiery pain far sooner than I would have expected. When he was able to breathe again, the sound of his gasps filling my ears, I slowly lowered him back to the ground in the hope he would feel more comfortable that way. When Jacob's heart beat had slowed down from its previously alarmingly high rate, I moved away from him to give him some cleaner air to breathe (which did not reek of vampire) and began.

"Do you know the effect vampire venom has on werewolves?" I asked slowly, but in an urgent tone. Given Jacob's current state, I knew I couldn't speak too quickly, but I hoped he could sense the urgency of my questioning.

"No," Jacob replied, looking away from me. "It has never happened before as far as we know… I can't believe I was so stupid!"

I was more than ready to ask the next question, but was momentarily distracted by Jacob's thoughts as I saw him running straight into Victoria's path, his head filled with Bella and nothing else. Despite being a natural at the 'wolf thing', I realised that Jacob must be unable to focus on multiple stimuli which was why he couldn't smell Victoria's scent. I suppose that is something he will learn over time.

I shook myself out of my reverie and reassured Jacob: "We all make mistakes."  
>"Well this one will cost me my life!" he shouted. Even though I was standing up, I could feel a low tremor in the ground which I knew was caused by Jacob's suppressed sobs.<p>

"You don't know that," I said gently.

"Of course I do! One of those sick, twisted karmic facts of life as a wolf- we fight the 'cold ones' to protect humans, but if we fail, then the tables turn and we become one ourselves! I would prefer death!"  
>"Please, calm down Jacob."<br>For a moment it looked like Jacob would object, but then I saw him push his palms against his forehead; his head was aching too. But I would ask him about that later.

"What happened to Victoria?"

"I don't know," he winced, impatiently rubbing his head. "She probably just evaded us again. Paul and Embry chased her that way," Jacob indicated pointing behind him.

"How did they know she was here?"

"Must have heard me howl. They came running, but they didn't see me- she made sure of that," Jacob answered bitterly.

"Surely they continued to search for you?"

"Ha! See where I'm lying, Bloodsucker? Not allowed over here are they? And I'm not strong enough to phase back- I'm completely fucking useless!" Jacob yelled, yet underneath the anger, there was a great sense of hopelessness there- I couldn't help but feel for the boy.

"It is good you didn't phase; it may have made things worse. It was lucky Bella asked me to look for you." I attempted to shift Jacob's perspective, but I was unsuccessful.  
>"The only thing worse than you finding me would be Victoria. You are not my saviour."<p>

I decided to ignore this and continue with my questioning; I may not be his saviour, but I knew I could help him, if only he would let me.

"About how long ago were you bitten?"

"No problem, let me just whip out the watch I keep tied to my ankle," Jacob hissed sarcastically.

But I was patient. "_About_ how long?"

"There was no sun to guide me, so I have no bloody idea."

"Had you eaten dinner already?"

It looked like Jacob was about to form some other smart arse retort, but then he paused. He remembered that Embry and Paul were to join him at nine- perhaps it was close to then that the incident took place?  
>I looked at my watch to see it was almost ten thirty, and was about to suggest that it had been a couple of hours since Victoria was here when my phone rang.<p>

I had no problem guessing who it would be. In fact, I was surprised she hadn't called sooner. I wrenched the phone out of my pocket, saw Alice's name pop up on the screen and sighed.

"Excuse me," I said to Jacob as politely as I could, not wanting my annoyance to seep into my tone.

Jake snorted, but his thoughts indicated that he was interested to hear who was calling. Unfortunately for him, I was not about to let that happen as I planned to talk quickly; time had never been so important for Jacob as it was now.

"Alice," I said calmly as I picked up the phone and turned my back on Jacob.

"Edward, where are you? I called Bella and she said you were-" I cut her off.

"Alice, calm down. I am perfectly fine," I asserted in a somewhat tired voice as a hint to her that she had nothing to worry about.

"Calm down?" she shrieked. "I cannot _see_ you! I know what that means- and don't try to deny it- you're with _them_ aren't you?" she demanded.

I looked at Jacob briefly before answering. "It's a long story and we are running out of time- I need to go."

"Edward Cullen!" Alice screamed. "If you do not tell me what is happening, our family will come searching for you! We've been worried! It drives me crazy when I cannot see!"

"Alice," I said sternly. "I am on our side of the boundary, and I am safe. I promise to tell you everything that has happened. Please inform everyone that I am fine. Also, could you please call Bella for me and tell her that I found the person that she wanted me to find, but I will not be able to see her again tonight. Tell her that I say goodnight, I will call her tomorrow morning and I'm sorry for not being there with her," and I truly was sorry; this would be the first night since Italy that we would not be together.

"I am not going to say anything to Bella until you tell what you are doing that is so important! I demand you tell me!" my sister shrieked.  
>"You <em>will <em>tell Bella my message as I have more pressing matters to deal with; the _person_ I am with needs my help. I will likely be eliciting Carlisle's assistance later, so please prepare him and make sure he does not go hunting tonight. Consequently, do not freak out if Carlisle's future disappears too-"

"You are not bringing the creature here!" her cries were deafening me and I could tell by Jacob's face that he could hear her tone.

"Trust me, I do not want to consider the consequences that will arise if I do not. I must go now Alice. Call me in an hour, and I should be able to talk then. Don't forget to call Bella for me and make sure Carlisle stays home when he finishes his shift. Do NOT try to find me."

"Edward-"

But I hung up on her and shook my head. I did not know which would be worse, Alice not being able to see which allowed her imagination to run wild, or being able to see and thus able to predict what I was about to do. She was impossible sometimes; I could only hope that she listened to what I said and ensures Carlisle remains at home and tells Bella my message. Nevertheless, Alice was a wonderful sibling and I felt terrible for hanging up on her- but I had more urgent matters to attend to.

"Is this the first time you have experienced pain?" I resumed my questioning as if nothing happened, my mind now primarily focused on the wolf before me.

Jacob stared blankly at me. "Not happy are they?" he asked sharply as if expecting me to flee.

"My sister is…" I tried to find the appropriate word. "Afraid because she cannot see my future- she knows I am with a werewolf."

I saw in Jacob's mind his memory of Alice and I tried to block out the reason why Alice looked so terrified, and Bella was racing out the door despite Jacob's begging and protests.

But then Jake became rather arrogant, satisfied that he had caused my family some discomfort.

"If you do not answer my questions, they may not be the only ones," I responded to his thought in a mildly threatening way. It was my attempt to keep us both on track.

Jacob sighed impatiently. "This is the first time I have experienced pain, other than my head. Is that a problem?"

"No, it is interesting though; humans normally feel the pain immediately, but yours was delayed," I replied thoughtfully; Carlisle would be very interested to hear this.

"People who are turned into vampires experience this agony before they change?" Jacob asked in disbelief.

"Yes, for roughly three days-"

"Three days?"

"Without respite."

Jacob cursed.

I nodded in recognition of his outburst- it was hard to believe that anyone could endure such pain for so long, especially those who do it alone- at least I had Carlisle.

"How do you feel at the moment?" I asked Jacob, looking at his face for hints of pain or emotion.

"Why does it matter? Nothing can be done," Jacob hissed.

"That is not entirely true," I started, giving him a bit of suspense. "Now please tell me how you feel."

Jacob sighed. "Head is killing me… and a dull pain all over but nothing like before. It comes and goes." My plan worked- in Jacob's mind he was thinking about what I could possibly mean- a possible way that I could help, but sadly none of his guesses came close to reality.

My disappointment must have been evident on my face, for Jacob asked, sounding tired now:

"I'm not even close?"

"No, and we've wasted so much time already."  
>"You're wasting time now by not telling me," came his retort, clouded with frustration.<br>I chuckled. It wasn't the telling, but the convincing that I was worried about.

"Get on with it Bloodsucker," Jacob insisted bitterly, evidently not liking the mystery.

I took a deep breath, hoping that this would be easy… thank goodness it was a Friday night and no one was expected at school tomorrow. This would be a long night.

"If I were to suck the venom-"

"Hell no!"

"Would you let me finish?" Jacob stared daggers at me, but remained silent. "If you let me, I can eliminate the venom from your system which will hopefully make it impossible for you to become a vampire," I said seriously.

Jacob was considering this in his mind, pondering over what he would gain if what I was saying were true. But then, he suddenly remembered who I was, which changed his entire perspective.

_Or he drains me of all my blood._

"I would not do that," I said seriously. But as the words left my mouth, my throat burned with thirst- I hadn't fed in weeks.

"Oh sure, it would be a very convenient way to get me out of the picture- you'd have Bella all to yourself!" Jake spat.

I walked back towards Jacob's lying body, knelt down next to the boy and leant over him a bit so he could see me.

"Firstly, I would never do that to Bella- you are her best friend and she loves you."

Jacob just stared at me; he did not believe my reasoning.

"And secondly, your blood does not smell very good," I smiled a little. "No offense."

Jacob snorted, but was apparently not offended. A second later, I saw why- it was for that reason that Victoria didn't return to feast on him; she was too used to human blood, whereas Jacob's was more animalistic than human.

"What if it doesn't work?" Jacob challenged, as if trying to find some excuse to not have to trust me.

"It will."

"How can you be so sure?" he demanded.

I froze, wondering whether Bella had ever told Jake what happened at the end of the previous year when she was in hospital as a consequence of 'falling down the stairs'.

"Personal experience," I replied carefully.

Jake took a double take and sputtering asked: "With who? Bella!"

_God this was a bad idea_. I ran my hand through my hair in distress before replying with a nod.

But instead of yelling, Jacob began searching through his memory until he saw the silver-white bite mark on Bella's hand. The image made my stomach churn, and I cringed- thankfully the boy didn't notice.

"As you know, she is still human."

_That was too close you idiot! What if it didn't work?_

Answering Jacob's thoughts, I said quietly but seriously, for nothing matters more to me than Bella's safety. "I cannot begin to tell you how terrified I was when I realised what had happened- and no matter what you may think of me, I have never, nor will I ever want Bella to become a vampire. I know you would like nothing more than to lecture me further, but at the moment I am concerned about your condition, so can we get back to that?" I said rather harshly, as I realised once again how much time we were wasting- why oh why didn't I just do the job without his permission?

Jacob moved uncomfortably and dragged his eyes away from me to stare at the sky again. Rubbing his forehead with his palms, Jacob began taking deep breaths again and I knew I was running out of time before the pain returned.

"Jacob, I need you to trust me."

_No._

"I can tell this entire encounter is completely against your every instinct. To trust a vampire may seem impossible, but if you don't, the alternatives could be far worse than that."

Jacob looked at me again- I could tell he was listening.

"You have nothing to lose, Jacob- except perhaps some of your dignity- but that would be a small price to pay, wouldn't it?"  
>Jacob's thoughts were momentarily side tracked as he thought of his family- his father and how he would react if Jacob told him that Dr. Cullen's son sucked his blood- with permission.<br>"Do you think your father believes you deserve a life as a vampire over trusting one? I am sure he loves you more than that," I asserted, surprised that Jacob would consider his father's disapproval to be more important than his life.

Jake was contemplative, his eyebrows close together as if wondering which was worse; disappointing his father or becoming a vampire. But I knew the answer and thus asserted:

"No one deserves this life Jacob, not even you. Please, trust me."

I knew that that statement had worked, as Jake's thoughts had resigned to my help, but they were also becoming overcome with pain.

I moved behind Jacob and helped him sit up. He was resistant, not wanting to move- his head was pounding. I nevertheless encouraged him because I needed access to the bite.

With my left arm around his torso and my right rubbing his back firmly, my tough cold skin grazing roughly against his, I spoke into his ear.

Jacob immediately cringed away from my breath, but I didn't let him out of my grip.

"Trust me," I whispered.

Jake shuddered, and made an indistinct noise.

Fear invaded his every thought.

"If we act quickly, I may be able to stop the pain from getting worse, but you need to listen to me, okay Jacob?"

" 'Kay," he breathed out in between ragged breaths.

"I know it seems impossible, but try to remain calm. The venom is in your blood, so the faster your heart beats, the faster the venom travels towards your heart. If it reaches a human's heart, there is no way to reverse the transformation. The effect seems much slower with you though, but nevertheless, try to stay calm."  
>Jacob didn't reply, but I knew he heard me and I could feel his heart rate slow, if only by a minute amount.<p>

"I am going to place my mouth over the bite Victoria made-" Moving away from Jake's ear for a split second, I looked at the boy's neck again just to make sure that the mark was still there. Jacob wondered the same thing as myself. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the wolves' accelerated healing did not work with venom infected injuries.

"I am not going to use my teeth because I do not want to risk adding more venom into your blood stream," I resumed, whispering in his ear again.

"But even so, you need to stay as still as you can. I do not want my grip on you to slip. I do not want to tear your skin or make new bite marks. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Jake was feeling doubtful, but knew he had no other choice but to try.

I placed my right hand gently on Jacob's shoulder. "You can do this."

Jake's reply was an ear-piercing scream which, if it were possible, would have deafened me. He writhed in my arms and although I had no problem maintaining my grip on him, I was fearful of Jacob hurting himself against my granite skin.

I was too late to prevent this recent bout of pain, but now that I had Jacob's permission, I braced myself behind the boy again, in preparation for what I was about to do.

When the pain had lessened, albeit only a little, and Jacob was no longer writhing, I snatched up this opportunity- this was my chance.

"I will be as quick as I can, Jacob. Remember what I told you."

_Careful. _His thought was full of fear and although he was not visibly crying, I knew his body was reacting as if he were.

"I will only drink what I must to eliminate the venom from your system- nothing more."

_Uh huh._

"Stay still and relax," I whispered. I moved Jake's head down so the skin around the bite was taut. I tightened my arm around Jacob's torso and felt him cringe under my force. I grabbed his shoulder and ran my thumb along it in what I hoped was a reassuring way as I moved my head towards his bite.

The moment my lips touched his warm skin, Jacob's immediate instinct was to leap away and phase. Sensing this, I squeezed him to me which made the boy yelp out in fear and helplessness. Judging by his erratic thoughts, I was hesitant to begin, but I didn't remove my lips. Instead, I slid my hand up and down his arm. My hands, I knew, would be freezing against his skin, but I was trying to soothe him.

"You're okay, Jacob," I mumbled, my lips moving against his skin. Then bracing myself once again, I began to suck the infected blood out of the bite Victoria had left on Jacob's skin.

Jacob gasped but did his best not to move away from me. I continued to rub his arm as I drank. I was right in thinking werewolf blood didn't taste that pure- the smell definitely was reflective of the taste. But it wasn't bad and it quenched my thirst a little. Of course, the venom made it taste bitter, which greatly reduced the usefulness of his blood for my thirst.

The venom was finally thinning, which was a relief, because I felt I was drinking for much longer than I should have been- I was concerned Jacob was losing too much blood. But the boy was still very much alive for I could hear his heart beating strongly. As if sensing my uncertainty, Jacob wondered how much longer I would be drinking for. I didn't reply (obviously), but I squeezed his shoulder and ensured I had a strong grip on him, should he decide to pull away.

Finally, I could no longer taste the venom in Jacob's blood, so stopped immediately and carefully pulled my mouth away from the wound Victoria left him. Before letting him go, I removed my right hand from his arm and wiped my mouth, just incase there was some of his blood there, which would not have been a good look.

"Well done," I whispered in relief, more than anything else, and gave Jacob's back one final rub before letting him go.

Upon being set free from my grasp, Jacob remained sitting… he was completely rigid.

He was in shock.

But why? Because he thought I would kill him? Because there was no more pain?

No, I was wrong.

Before I could fully comprehend the flow of erratic thoughts that flew through Jacob's mind, the boy was half laughing and half… crying?

I had one word to describe his emotions: Relief.

I let the boy be for a moment, standing to the side, but further away so I wasn't impeding on his privacy.

_Thank god. _Jake thought to himself as he rested his head in his hands.

Then as if suddenly remembering that his being free of venom did not happen by magic, he turned to me and swallowed. Although I knew the following words were the last he ever would have wanted to say to me, I was very glad to hear them.

_Thank you._

I smiled. "You're welcome." I waited to see if the boy would say anything further, but he continued to stare at me, and then suddenly turned away. Unfortunately for him, hiding his face did not prevent me from hearing his thoughts, and consequently, his emotions.

He was upset... I didn't understand his feelings at all and I don't think he did either- he couldn't rationalize why tears were pouring down his face. Half of him was relieved to know he would not be turning into a vampire (for now at least), but the other half wondered at the consequences of my rescuing him; was he indebted to me now? Or perhaps more importantly, was the worst over? What WAS the effect of the venom on werewolves? His thoughts were jumping between relief and confusion and I had to admit I felt similarly. Nevertheless, I wasn't about to judge his tears; if I were in his position and just escaped turning into a vampire, I would be pretty emotional too.

_Oh perfect, crying in front of the Bloodsucker… if it weren't for him, you could be one of them by now. Shit…he can hear me._

I smiled a little at his thoughts, not in an arrogant way, only because his line of reasoning was very similar to mine.

"You hear that?" he asked, his back still turned to me as he aggressively wiped away his tears.

"Yes," I replied quietly not wanting my amusement to get away from me. Nevertheless, I hoped he could hear the smile in my voice.

_Damn it._

"I don't blame you for your feelings. I pass no judgment on you. Though I am curious- has the pain gone? And how is your head feeling?"

"The fire has stopped, it felt like it was tearing my nerves to pieces!"  
>"I remember the feeling well," I said seriously and with empathy.<p>

"My head is still pounding though, I think cry- what happened tonight made it worse."

I chuckled inwardly. Although I could not remember how it felt to cry, I have been told that crying can make headaches worse.

"That's good to hear, though I think you should see a doctor about your head-" I was about to suggest he see Carlisle, when he interrupted me.

"I'll go home and drive to the hospital," Jake insisted, standing up unsteadily and attempted to walk past me.

"Hang on," I insisted, blocking his way. Jacob was angry for my interference, but suddenly, he grabbed his head and a moan escaped his lips. I caught Jacob around his waist and supported his weight. He was still conscious, but very weak. I should have known that amount of blood loss would make him feel faint. But there was no time to berate myself for my stupidity.

"Jacob, I need to take you to my home. I think my father- Dr. Cullen should take a look at you and give you some donated blood," I said seriously, already walking in the direction of my house, not willing to run just yet until he had responded to me.

But my assertion seemed to wake him from his stupor.

"No, I am NOT going to see him! Are you insane? Do you think_ I_ am insane? A house filled with vampires? My father would _never_ forgive me!" Jacob was frantic through his lightheadedness, because a part of him knew he may not have much of a choice.

"You think your father would approve of you going to a normal doctor who will feel your high temperature and see the bite on the back of your neck? They will notice," I said pointedly, hoping Jacob would realize quickly that my option was far better.

"Then I will go home and rest- the pain will go away."

"But you may have concussion, a blood clot, a small haemorahage- you hit your head very hard," I pointed out. "Not to mention the blood loss."  
>"Since when are you the doctor?" Jake demanded.<p>

"You may still be in danger- we don't yet know exactly what vampire venom does to werewolves." I continued, ignoring his question. Of course, I knew a lot about medicine; I have lived over 100 years with a doctor, but I was not about to waste valuable time pointing this out to him.

"My dad will know-"

"You said it has never happened before-"

"Someone has to know!" Jacob shouted, grabbing his head again and rubbing his forehead vigorously. He was no longer able to support his weight.

I helped the boy stand upright and turned him to look at my face instead of focusing on the pain.

"You need to see Dr. Cullen," I said clearly and simply.

"No, I can't- I won't!"

"You don't have a choice, Jacob. A normal doctor would be suspicious. Without some help, you will not be able to rest, your pain is too intense, and you are lightheaded."

"I hate your stupid gift!" Jacob half yelled, half sobbed.

"Shhh," I soothed and quicker than I had intended, I wrapped my arms around Jacob, holding him to me, "calm down."

Despite his fear and panic, Jacob was intensely confused by my gesture, as was I. But he remained completely still, not even bothering to move his arms so they were no longer trapped between my body and his. It was becoming difficult for me to be inside his head through all of this- so I wanted to make it better for him if I could. As much as werewolves are my natural enemies, I could never forget that he was the reason that my Bella was still alive. Even though I knew the boy hated me for what I did to Bella (though not as much as I hated myself), and could never conceive any form of truce between our kinds, I could not help but comfort him through what I knew must have been the worst moment of his life.

"Listen to me," I said, my chin only just able to rest on his shoulder as I spoke away from him so my breath wouldn't agitate his ear. "Dr Cullen has been looking after humans for three hundred years. He has developed a resistance against the scent of human blood, and given his years of experience he is the best doctor there is. You could not be in better hands."

"My father-"

"Your father, I am sure, loves you. The ramifications that would arise if you went to a doctor who is human would be severe- it is safer for yourself and both of our races, if you see my father. I am sure your father will forgive you, but if not, I am happy for you to say I forced you to come," I added and I genuinely meant it.

"Your house-"

"Is filled with vampires, and it will smell highly unpleasant to you, I am sure. My family are controlled, and with Carlisle- my father, his wife Esme, and myself with you, the others will not touch you, I promise," I spoke sincerely.

Jacob pushed me away from him then; apparently he had regained some of his strength. I let him go, but when I realised he was doing some serious thinking, I spent my time patiently running through my head everything I needed to do before I arrived home with Jacob (the most important of which was to call Carlisle).

"I want to call my father before we go-"  
>"I do not think that is a good idea- your brothers will most likely stop us. I can run faster than them, but it seems like I will be forced to carry you and I do not want to make your injuries worse."<p>

"I- I need clothes. I can run home and get some." I could tell Jacob was getting desperate to find an excuse to leave, but it was only then that I remembered he was naked; the leaf lay abandoned on the debris beneath our feet.

"You cannot run- you can barely walk, so it would not be a good idea for you to phase. My brother is about the same size as you, you can wear one of his pairs of shorts."  
>"They will stink-"<p>

"We can wash them-"

"In a house filled with your stench?"

I was becoming impatient, but knew I had to remain the more rational and calm one in this situation. Knowing that Jacob would not be able to get far in his current state, I said:

"In that case, I will be back soon." I placed Jacob next to a tree, which he immediately leaned on and then raced to the nearest clothing store, found a pair of shorts I knew would fit Emmett and thus Jacob, asked the owner to wrap it, paid a good price and ran back with the clothing. I was gone for only three minutes and had never once touched the shorts. I placed them at Jacob's feet- he was staring at me in shock. I turned around so he could put them on.

When he was clothed (or at least, partially so), he once again made an attempt to go home. Of course, I was too fast for him.

"You need to trust me, Jacob."

Jacob shook his head.

"You gave me your trust before and it may well have saved your life. You need to try," I persisted firmly.

"You ask too much of me. This goes against everything I have been taught and everything I feel inside me. I cannot trust the one doctor my father always told me never to talk to no matter what," Jacob explained in a solemn tone as if he were caught in the middle of two evils.

Ignoring my disappointment that Carlisle was perceived so terribly by the wolves, I walked up to Jacob and said: "I know you are terrified, I would be too if my reasoning told me that I would be safest in a house of werewolves. It is okay to be frightened and to fight me all the way to my home. But in this situation, I believe I know what is best for you and I know that _you_ know what is best for you, so I will force you, if I must, to do what we _both_ know you must, even if every fibre in your body prevents you from walking away from your family," I said honestly, looking behind me at La Push.

"No… I- I can't."

"You must; I know my father can help you- who better to know about the effects of venom than he?"

"But my father will be wondering where I am- my brothers are probably still looking for me- they'll be worried," he protested, staring longingly towards his home and his family's side of the boundary.

"I promise you can call him when you are safely at my house-"

"Safe?" Jacob snapped in disbelief.

"Yes, safe." And I was serious.

Jacob stared at me for a long while. When the pain from his head interrupted his silence, replacing it with a scream of agony, rendering him incapable of speech, I grabbed the boy's shoulders in an effort to keep him grounded in reality.

"Jacob-"

_Take me. _I heard his thought only briefly through his screams of pain, but he didn't need to ask twice.

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please remember to review! I will post up Chapter 3 around the same time next week Til then, take care!


	4. Chapter 3 I feel like a child

Author's note: Welcome to chapter 3. I have updated a bit earlier than normal in the hope I may catch people at a good time so they will have MORE time to read and review. Please review! I know there's quite a few of you reading out there. Thanks for adding this story to your favourites and thanks heaps to those of you who are reviewing :D

Chapter 3- I feel like a child

Jacob's POV

_Take me…_

I'm not sure what happened after saying those words… I felt so weak I could barely talk or even stand- I must have blacked out. But I don't think I was out for long, because Edward's hurried voice (the one that was impossible for me to hear properly) woke me, as he was talking to someone on his mobile, which he had positioned under his shoulder as I was occupying his arms. All I could do for the moment was listen as my body started to recover- Edward's arms digging into my back as he ran. But the ride wasn't bumpy- in fact it didn't feel like Edward was running, yet I knew he must be- I felt like I was gliding. Or perhaps that's just because I was completely out of it?

I gave my attention to Edward's voice again- I wonder if he knows I am awake? He gave no verbal indication that he did, but maybe it was because he was getting fed up with whoever he was talking to- probably his sister again.

"Put Carlisle on the phone Alice; we can talk about this later!" he hissed impatiently at a speed I could understand, apparently he slowed his words for emphasis.

I couldn't hear the tinkerbell's reply, but she must have obeyed because then Edward was talking quickly again.

I was now becoming agitated that I couldn't hear what was being said, for I was certain he was talking about me to whoever- probably the doc.

I could only catch snippets… something about Victoria, the word 'wolf', asking Alice something, an office somewhere, Jasper (whoever that was), and 'get out'…

Edward then closed the phone and looked ahead, a concerned expression on his face. His eyes were narrowed and his face was less animated than what I had seen in the past… but maybe that was because he was not talking…

Argh! Whatever, my stupid brain wasn't working fast enough for me to put two and two together.

Nevertheless, I couldn't help but wonder what was bothering him- not because I cared for his comfort in any way, but if something were to go wrong it would probably affect me too knowing my luck.

Then of course, despite his distracted mind, he heard my thoughts and looked at me as if realising for the first time that I had woken from my quick slumber.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, still evidently distracted and ignoring the questions that were flying through my mind.

"My head is still pounding, but good otherwise- I will walk now," I insisted, suddenly feeling self-conscious in his arms.

Edward laughed much louder than I was expecting and I felt strangely under his control as if his laugh put a spell on me. "I don't think so," he chuckled as if he knew me better than I knew myself.

I pushed against his arms, but they were as hard as they looked. At first, my attempts amused Edward and even though I was far stronger than the average human, I was still no match for him, which I hated. But then after a while, he became impatient with my persistent behaviour.

"Stop it will you?" he hissed at me as he shifted his arms to get a better grip on me for I had begun to kick my legs and push his torso away from me.

"Let me walk!" I asserted, getting frustrated that I was not succeeding.

"You'll wear yourself out if you keep fighting me; enjoy the trip," he smirked.

"Shut up and put me down- I feel like a child!"

"You're acting like one," Edward pointed out, still refusing to let me go.

"I- FEEL-FINE!" I insisted, each word spoken as I made a new attempt to break free. I didn't care if I was acting like a child; it drove me insane that the bloodsucker was carrying me like a baby. I was perfectly capable of walking and there was no way I wanted to arrive at the vampire house like this.

But apparently Edward had had enough.

"Jacob, stop it!" he shouted dangerously. "I am not letting you go no matter what you do, so stop being inconsolable- rest, for crying out loud!"

I dared to look at his face just as the moonlight shone on it. Although my eyesight is pretty good, I had never paid attention to Edward's face before now… His eyes were black and there were purplish bruises under them.

I almost couldn't resist laughing, but I managed to contain it and laughed to myself, which I then realised, Edward would be able to hear anyway. I wonder if Bella had ever seen her precious, perfect vampire look like this before? He looked sick, but somehow I knew he wasn't… but what was with his eyes? They weren't the gold colour their coven was known for…

"You would rather not know the answer to that question," Edward spoke suddenly, not looking at all amused; he must really mean it.

I decided to keep my mouth shut, which I am sure he was happy about. I decided to stop struggling against him- as much as I hated to obey, my arms were feeling tired from the exertion. But knowing where I was going and feeling wide awake for now, the pain only mild, I decided to spend my time wisely before I would be surrounded by vampires.

"So who's Jasper?" I asked in mock cheerfulness as if I really cared, other than to know why he was so important.

"Alice's partner and thus, my brother," Edward replied, not looking at me.

"Why did you mention him when you were talking to… the doc, I guess."

"He may be useful to us," Edward replied shortly as if not wanting to tell me more about his 'brother'.

"How so? What can be more useful than reading minds?" I demanded.

_Why did more people have to be in on this than was necessary?_

"He may be very necessary," Edward answered my thoughts rather than my spoken question. "He, Carlisle and Esme will be the only ones home when we arrive; I have asked the others to leave."

This was news to me, but it did explain why his final words to the doc were 'get out'. I couldn't help but feel a little relieved; once the doctor had concluded I was fine, I would be out of there in no time. I was feeling better already and my head only ached every so often- nothing I couldn't handle. Might as well satisfy the bloodsucker that I have no brain damage, so I can leave in peace without having to fight against the granite pillar who had its arms under me.

Edward smirked at my metaphor but said nothing- still distracted it would seem.

I was about to ask the vampire what was up, when I remembered that he was talking to the doc but had not said anything to me about the conversation. Then it had me wondering whether Edward was concerned about- and it pains me to say it- me. Suddenly my mind was filled with nothing else. But of course, before I could even ask, Edward was answering me.

"Carlisle is not certain of the potential effects vampire venom may have on wolves, but he is doing some research now and will let me know if he finds anything," Edward explained calmly and I couldn't help but believe him. I felt myself calm down, but I still felt slightly pessimistic- could I really be that lucky? I highly doubted it; if wolves were capable of destroying vampires by pulling them apart limb from limb, surely vampires must be able to kill their enemies with their venom? It seems only natural otherwise we would not have evolved this way. I hated the mind set I was in and wished I would fall asleep again. But it was too late; I had begun to fear the worst, and before I knew it I felt compelled to ask Edward for his opinion; I was desperately searching for some reassurance.

"I'm not sure of the consequences," Edward replied seriously, not meeting my gaze, his eyes looking dead black. "But," he sighed heavily. "I believe the venom would have affected you somehow."

I felt my heartbeat increase against my will for I didn't want the bloodsucker to know I was fearful of what his words could mean to me… to my life. I could have pretended that he was speaking to agitate and frighten me, but somehow, I knew he wasn't cruel. I felt Edward's hand squeeze my arm from under me as he spoke. I barely had time to be repulsed by his touch.

"Like what?" I asked, not sure if I really wanted the answer.

"I'm not certain, but the venom was in your system for a long time… I doubt I was able to remove it all," he replied solemnly.

"You think that had I told you about it sooner, I may be better off?" I asked, feeling physically sick.

Edward appeared contemplative, his eyebrows pulled together momentarily before replying: "It's possible."

"Great," I mumbled. The world was so bloody ironic- who would have thought that the best quick fix for a vampire bite was to trust another vampire to suck the venom right out of you? I couldn't honestly blame myself for not telling Edward what happened; I was protecting myself! How could I have known why he was looking for me to begin with? And yet, my efforts to protect my life may have only functioned to destroy it. And who knows? Perhaps I was dying right now and didn't even realize?

Through my hastened thinking I hardly realised that I was losing it. I wasn't moving much, but my mind was hectic- I was panicking. If it was anything else, I would have been fine- wolves heal quickly after all. But this? This was something I had never been prepared for- I was too arrogant to think it possible. But such thinking just made me more frustrated at the situation I was in.

"Jacob," Edward said gently, moving his arms slightly underneath me so my head was nestled more comfortably in the crook of his right elbow.

"What?" I snapped at him, not in the mood to be spoken to like everything would be fine.

"I may be completely wrong," Edward insisted, looking down on me now. "Perhaps karma is not so cruel."

I snorted. "Whatever. The very sight of your kind disgusts me, and I am certain you feel the same way-"

"No," Edward interjected, but then paused, staring into space again as if thinking about why he interrupted me so forcefully.

"No?" I mimicked, almost laughing at his assertion.

"You do not disgust me," he said seriously, looking at me again.

I felt like vomiting at the corniness of it all, but decided not to for I could see he meant it.

"Just because I 'saved' your girlfriend-"

"No," Edward said again, though not so sharp this time; it sounded as if he needed to explain his reply. "You may smell like something horrid, but I still see you as a human and thus, someone worth protecting. Living with Carlisle for almost 100 years does that to you," Edward explained with a small smile. "Unfortunately, few of my kind feel that way- most could not and would not have done what I did for you tonight."

"You make it sound like it was a gift," I spat, hating being in his debt.

Edward smiled broadly. "I don't know what you call it, Wolf, but life is definitely considered a gift to our kind."

I snorted. "Yeah."

I looked up to see what the bloodsucker's reaction was to my response, but he was preoccupied again. I wondered if he was hearing other people's thoughts and was intensely listening or whether it was his own thinking that was the distraction.  
>"You look worried," I began, trying to hint at the fact that I was concerned he was thinking about my fate.<p>

Edward half smiled, his white teeth only partially showing, but he neither looked at me nor answered my statement. I took this to be a bad sign. I was just about to retort the silence with how frustrating it was that I couldn't see into _his_ mind, when he replied:

"I am preoccupied with many things, none of which concern your fate," he replied seriously, slowing down his run as he said so.

Rather than answering with the 'I don't believe you' remark I had planned, I was forced to look around me. We were walking now, or rather, Edward was, but I didn't realize until then how 'slow' his running was prior to us slowing. When I thought about how fast vampires could run (given Victoria's multiple escapes), I realised that Edward was never running as fast as he was capable.

"I wanted to make sure your head was in an ideal position; I did not feel it wise to allow it to hang when you had a migraine," Edward explained in response to my thoughts.

"I'm able to support my own head, thank you," I replied icily, using my neck muscles to lift my head off of his arm just to prove it.

Edward smirked and shook his head- he thought I was a fool, I could tell.

"I'm not weak," I stated, my head still raised above his arm.

But Edward didn't answer me and for all I knew, he didn't even hear. It was only then that I noticed the trees were no longer moving past me; Edward had stopped walking. I looked up at his face to find it concentrating, his eyebrows were narrowed and his body was perfectly still. If I didn't know better I would have thought I was being held by a cold statue. I gave him a moment, before asking quietly:

"What is it?"

I had no idea where we were or what he was cautious about. I wasn't sure where the bloodsuckers lived or how far their house was from my own, but I was pretty sure we should be there by now. I strained my eyes to see as far as I could into the distance and saw nothing but trees, flowers and the beautiful landscape that surrounded wherever we were. No danger as far as I could see.

Becoming impatient with Edward's silence, I tried to wrestle my way out of his grip. I lifted my right leg up in an effort to raise it over Edward's hand which was loosely wrapped around my upper calf, to only feel my legs being pushed together as Edward pulled me closer to him.

"Put me down; I need to stand," I asserted, and I wasn't exaggerating; my legs felt strangely numb as if the blood rushing through them was suddenly cut off. Edward loosened his grip a little, but when he realised I didn't feel any better, he gently put me down. For a creature who could crush my bones with his hand, I couldn't help but be surprised by the care and gentle manner in which placed me sturdily on my feet.

I was relieved to be touching the ground again. I could feel the soil between my toes, and my legs developed feeling in them again. I wanted nothing more than to run- it felt like it had been 4 days, not 4 hours since Victoria had bitten me. Amongst all my inner celebration, I almost missed the sigh that escaped Edward's lips.

"What?" I snapped, thinking that he thought my happiness was not called for.

Edward shook his head as if he were getting fed up with some 'imaginary' person he was talking to and I had a feeling it wasn't me.

Closing his eyes gently, I watched as Edward's lips frowned slightly.

"Later, Alice," he whispered, and I thought that I saw a flash of guilt cross his face.

"She's near?" I asked. I had stupidly forgotten that I had no idea where I was and why. My head felt perfectly fine and was starting to believe that Edward was worrying for nothing.

Edward didn't answer immediately, but after a minute or so, he said: "Come."

It took a moment for my legs to obey, but when they did, it wasn't long before we came to a long driveway. _This must be the Cullen's property, but where is the house?_

"At the end of the drive," Edward answered me, though he sounded restrained. I had never seen anyone appear so relaxed and focused at the same time. He looked strange.

"What _are_ you doing?" I asked, fed up with his secretive behaviour.

"I'm not worried about you," he answered immediately, almost as if he was sick of me asking, even though that thought had not hit me… yet.

"Ha! Sure sure," I replied lazily and started running the rest of the way; we were practically there. Remembering that no one except the necessary ones would be there, I thought that maybe that was why Edward was so distracted; he was trying to make sure the rest had left like he asked, or maybe to find out what they were thinking…

When I finally reached the 'house', I had to pause just to look at the place. It was _huge_. _Massive._ It's a good thing the place was so isolated because they would get no privacy otherwise; I could see into almost every room and windows were everywhere. Yet, I couldn't see the doc, or his wife, or this Jasper person. Surely they weren't hiding? I slowly began to walk towards the door, but stopped when I heard someone step behind me. Bloody vampires could approach so damn quickly and quietly- it was just Edward.

"So are we going to get this over with or what?" I asked him, hoping for a direct answer.

"After you," he responded as if daring me to enter first. But I was not fearful, for I could see no one; how hard could it be to open the door?

I approached the door some twenty meters away and that's when it hit me. The place reeked of vampire; I was surprised I hadn't smelt it sooner! My nose crinkled immediately. I placed my hands quickly over my nose and breathed through my mouth. God they stink! Edward continued to wait behind me and I could feel him watching me. But I couldn't walk in, I was now only two meters from the goddamn door and I couldn't move.

Suddenly, I said: "I should call my dad," through my fingers, though of course Edward could still hear me loud and clear.

"When Carlisle has done a check up, I will give you a phone to call him," Edward tried to bargain with me.

"He'll be worried," I insisted. "As will my brothers."

"Well, the faster you enter the house, the sooner you can call," Edward replied as if he were trying to convince a child to eat their vegetables in order to get dessert.

I shook my head furiously, which was a bad idea; the movement aggravated the nerve or muscle I hit when I fell and revived that ridiculously painful headache. I paused for a split second to determine which was the worst of two evils: my migraine or the smell of vampire stench. Choosing the former, I forced my hands from my nose, but couldn't bring myself to breathe. The combination of the pain and the lack of oxygen forced me to my knees. I tried to crawl away, for the pain had almost incapacitated me, but Edward stood in my way and bent down slightly.

"Let me help you," Edward said in what I felt was a kind tone, but I honestly couldn't tell.

_Never._

I heard Edward chuckle at my reply and I knew he thought my assertion had already been broken, but it hadn't. I never _let_ him help me; I had no choice!

I felt the cool cement under my left palm as I began to descend the stairs I came up, in an effort to leave this place which stank like NOTHING I had ever smelt before.

"Stop," Edward persisted, grabbing my arm.

I yanked out from his grip as suddenly as he had taken it, the pain clouding my vision and my reasoning. But one thing I did know was that I was _not _entering the bloodsucker's house looking like this.

"You are so close," Edward whispered in my ear, my spine shivered as I felt his cold breath on my warm skin. "Your pride is not worth the pain, my father is just inside."

_Well they haven't come outside. You'd think they'd be delighted to see me suffer on their doorstep._

"I asked them to stay inside."

_Great. _I said sarcastically to him with my thoughts, as I forced myself to take a breath.

I needed to breathe through the pain, but I couldn't; the smell seared my throat and burnt my nose. My conflict was evidently making Edward impatient and before I could object verbally or otherwise, I felt Edward's cold arms turn me onto my back, then lifted me up in a split second, his elbow once again nestled under my head as he kicked open the door.

Through my pain, I forced my eyes open. Although I was too weak to move, once I saw what was waiting for me inside, a violent heat flowed through me; never before had I so desperately wished I was capable of phasing. Sensing my thoughts, Edward held me tighter, whether in restraint or comfort, I couldn't tell. Edward began speaking in a low voice to who I knew to be the doc for I had seen him at the hospital walking around. I looked at the other two vampires surrounding me. The woman looked kind and concerned about me. She had a nice face, despite it being ghostly white. The other male vampire looked highly strained, but I was too out of it to work out why. Before I knew what was happening, my eyes felt irresistibly heavy and I fell asleep with four vampires surrounding me.

Unfortunately, I wasn't asleep for long; much to my annoyance I was woken up later that morning, my brain pounding against my skull…

Author's note: Thanks for reading! I haven't been receiving as many reviews as I did from the prologue. Where did you all go? I miss you Please share your thoughts with me by reviewing! Thanks a million! Starting from chapter 4 (my next post, not this one :P), I am hoping to be able to encourage more reviews from you guys. So perhaps we can support each other? I will update when I receive 10 reviews (I know you are out there), but if I don't receive 10 reviews, I will update each week like I already have been. What do you think? Please remember to review, and feel free to PM me if you'd like


	5. Chapter 4 Breathe

Author's note: Here's chapter 4. I hope you all enjoy it! I'll save the other things I'd like to say until the end. In the mean time, happy reading!

Trust me

Chapter 4- Breathe

Jacob's POV

My eye lids felt heavy- I swear my brain was still sleeping. Yet somehow, I was waking up when I knew I didn't want to. But before I could find Edward and demand how I was waking up when I felt beyond tired, my head exploded or so it felt like.

I yelled out, only to immediately regret it as I took in a mouthful of vampire stench. I forced myself to keep my eyes shut as I shuddered to think who was surrounding me, their faces looking down at me as if I were some weak creature they should have pity on. I didn't know how long I was asleep for but surely the doctor had managed to do something to at least get rid of the pain? I swore to myself; what had they been doing all this time?

Even though I yelled out, no one had spoken yet, which I thought was strange. Forcing myself to be calm, keeping my eyes shut helped, I realised that there was whispering surrounding me. The bloodsuckers were speaking amongst themselves again.

_Hey! _I shouted in my thoughts.

Immediately I felt Edward by my side.

"Carlisle has been giving you pain killers, but due to you having a higher body temperature than humans, they burn up before they have time to affect you," Edward explained, getting straight to the point like I hoped he would.

_Great. _I sighed to myself (and to Edward I guess). This really was going to be a living hell.

My nose stung as another scent entered the room- it didn't take long to determine who it was.

"Is Jacob awake?" It was the doc.

"Yes," another male voice replied- probably Jasper or whatever his name was.

"Thank you," Carlisle replied to his 'son' and then I heard him walk towards me.

_Thank you? _I questioned myself. _Why thank the vampire? I was the one who woke up!_

I heard Edward take a breath beside me as if he were about to answer, but Carlisle spoke to me. I had difficulty deciphering the doc's words as a fresh wave of pain attacked me.

"I am sorry that I have been unable to relieve you of your pain, Jacob," the doctor said in a tone I felt was sincere.

I didn't reply- I didn't breathe; I was trying to get through the pain without making it worse with vampire stench.

He continued. "As Edward explained, the painkillers burn off almost as quickly as I give them to you. I have another strategy that may help, but I would like to perform a couple of check-ups first."

_Why couldn't you do that when I was sleeping!_

I felt Edward stiffen beside me.

To my surprise, the doctor read my facial expression pretty well and replied to my thought:

"I needed you to be awake so you can tell me how certain things feel and to give your consent to treatment."

_God if his smell didn't make my nose and mouth burn, I would give the creature a piece of my mind- it was as if he blamed me for sleeping!_

"That wasn't your fault," Edward whispered apparently apologetic. "Jasper was trying to relieve you of your pain, if only for a short while."

At this, I forced myself to open my eyes and really wished I hadn't. I was in a white room. If I didn't know better, I would have thought I was in a hospital ward. But the paintings that covered the walls and the large window looking out onto the landscape told me that I was still in the vampire's abode. I looked down, shuddering as to what I would find, my pain momentarily forgotten. I was wearing the same shorts Edward bought me a few hours ago and a t-shirt that probably belonged to Emmett because it reeked of vampire. But I was thankful for my attire; at least I wasn't wearing a ridiculous hospital gown.

I heard Edward snicker quietly beside me- perhaps my thoughts did sound stupid to him, but I always hated hospitals and was raised to avoid them, especially when Doctor Cullen was on duty. I shuddered and grabbed hold of my head as I tried to sit up.

"Careful Jacob," the doctor cautioned and I watched as he moved to my side to help me. I wrenched my arm away from him, and with his body touching mine, I had to stop breathing- his smell was overwhelming me. Now that I was sitting up, my body was struggling to stay upright- bloody headaches mess with you. Until now, I had never had one before. From that moment I developed a new found sympathy for my father whenever he told me his head was pounding. I felt incapacitated and holding my breath didn't help.

When I heard Jasper's rough voice say: "Don't do that," it was only then that I remembered why I sat up to begin with. What was this about Jasper taking away my pain?

Before I could expect a reply, I saw Edward move out of the corner of my eye as he leaned towards me.

"Breathe Jacob."

I looked right back at him, turning my head as far as I dared, so he could see how serious I was when I thought: _Tell me right now what your brother's gift is. _I envisaged spitting at him, though to be honest, was more afraid than angry.

Edward didn't blink at my request, but paused before answering.

"Jasper's primary gift is to detect and alter one's emotions. To do this-" Edward continued loudly before I could interrupt. "He must be able to control various hormones and physiology inside the human body. Thus, he was able to encourage your body to sleep, given how tired you were physically, it wasn't too difficult."

I forced my gaze away from Edward to stare at Jasper who was staring back at me, though not aggressively, but as if waiting to see how I would react.

I refused to respond verbally. Instead I continued to stare, keeping my mouth and my lungs closed to oxygen.

Jasper shook his head, his pale face starting to look threatening. "Your body needs oxygen," he warned me. As if my body wanted to support the vampire's assertion, my brain pounded against my skull and I began to feel dizzy.

I felt myself sway, but managed to stay upright- I could've been dead and still remained completely still for Edward and the doctor were supporting me with their cold, solid arms. But I knew that if I didn't breathe soon, I would pass out, so turning towards Edward, closing my eyes so I couldn't see how any of them looked at me, I took a quick breath.

"Breathe easy, Jacob" Carlisle tried to soothe me, as he obviously realised I was holding my breath again.

_No._

"Your body needs oxygen more than usual," Edward assisted his 'father' as he gently pushed me on the shoulder, forcing me to lie down again. I wanted to fight him, but physically I just couldn't. "How are you supposed to heal when your blood is deprived of oxygen?" he reasoned quietly with me.

I didn't answer aloud, so I thought instead: _my body heals faster than any human, I will make it even if I only taking quick breaths now and then_.

"And how are your defenses against vampire venom?" Edward asked, challenging me.

_Stronger than a human's! _I fired back at him.

"True, but we need to determine if there is any other damage. Given that the venom is in your blood, I think it would be prudent for you to start _breathing," _Edward whispered in my ear, making the hairs on my neck stand up on end.

Of course, Jasper and the doctor could hear what Edward was saying, and through his replies, could gather what I was thinking.

When I didn't answer, Edward looked to his father and brother for assistance.

Jasper immediately answered his look by saying: "I wouldn't dare try to force him. He is far too resistant, and I do not believe Carlisle would want to risk Jacob's mind and body being out of sync."

Upon hearing these words, I realised they were only trying to help me. But the pathetic thing was that as much as I wanted the pain to go away, and as much as I knew I needed to make sure the venom was not affecting me, I couldn't bring myself to breathe in the horrific vampire stench.

Feeling a little helpless, which is the worst kind of feeling in a house of vampires, I just stared at Edward in the hope he would understand.

"Carlisle, Jasper, could you give us a moment?" Edward asked his companions, not taking his eyes away from mine. His stare was freaking me out, so I looked away from him, and pretended to watch the doctor and his mood-altering son leave the room. Edward was completely still, evidently listening to their thoughts until they were out of range and thus presumably out of hearing range.

"Breathe, Jacob," Edward encouraged, kneeling down next to the bed so his head was at the same level as mine. I could see in the lines of his face, which were normally so smooth, and the tone of his voice that he was worried about me.

As much as I hated it, I didn't hesitate to obey him. Without Carlisle and Jasper in the room, it was much easier to breathe- I suppose all the time spent in the forest had allowed me to get used to Edward's smell.

I took many deep breaths, and already I was noticing that I felt a little better; my head didn't feel so clouded.

"Is it easier to breathe?"

"I'm breathing aren't I?" I spat back sarcastically.  
>"I can hear that, but how are you going to breathe with Carlisle next to you?"<p>

"I don't bloody know- it's not just him, your whole house reeks of vampire!"

"You don't seem so averse to my scent anymore," Edward pointed out.

I stared at Edward aggressively, only because I was trying to hide the fact that he was right… somehow, in the last four hours I had been in Edward's presence, I had managed to grow accustomed to his smell.

Edward, no doubt having heard all of this in my head, asked: "How would you feel if Carlisle and Jasper return, and whenever you need to breathe, you can turn your head in my direction? I will stand close to you," Edward offered.

The idea of 'needing' the vampire made me sick to my stomach, but I knew that if I didn't let the doc help me soon, I WAS going to be sick from the pain in my head.

So I decided, for what felt like the hundredth time that night, to listen to the bloodsucker.

Edward looked relieved as he said aloud: "Carlisle, Jasper, you may come back now."

I blinked and the two vampires were suddenly in front of me, the latter taking a brief look at me before backing away towards the furthest corner.

The doctor, Carlisle, went straight to business as if nothing unusual had happened- he didn't venture to ask how I had solved my breathing 'problem' and I was glad.

Still lying down, Carlisle asked me to sit up. I had to move slowly, holding my head, lest I disturb its steady pounding. I felt Edward supporting me on my right as I slowly sat up and leant a little way over my legs. I realised only then how long the bed was, easily able to accommodate my ever-growing height. I wondered how they were able to get such an abnormally large bed so quickly.

"Alice told Carlisle what you look like," Edward answered, not looking at me, but at the bite mark on the back of my neck which Carlisle was examining.

_Of course she did. _I said bitterly to myself.

My hair stood up on end when I felt the doctor's ice-cold fingers touching my skin around the bite that bitch Victoria gave me. I turned my head in Edward's direction to take a breath, trying to control the many emotions I was feeling in that moment. I looked up at Jasper and saw that he was still staring at me intensely. Seriously, he especially freaks me out. Perhaps he was waiting for me to crack- it wouldn't surprise me.

"The bite looks good, Jacob," the doc interrupted my reverie. "It is clean and not infected. I will keep an eye on it overnight, just in case," Carlisle concluded.

"'Kay," I breathed, not daring to say anymore.

"How is your head feeling?" Carlisle asked as he stood in front of me so I could see his golden eyes, which were so different from Edward's at that moment. I turned away quickly to snatch another breath and then stared back at him.

"Pounding," I responded.

Carlisle nodded. "When you were sleeping before, I checked your vitals and they seemed fine. So, if you want, I can give you some morphine intravenously."

I stared at the creature blankly. _What the hell did that mean?_ But before I could ask, Edward did it for me.

"Jacob wants to know what 'intravenous' means."

"I apologise for not explaining myself, Jacob," Carlisle said, seemingly genuine in his apology. "Because oral and injected forms of morphine are not effective due to your high body temperature, I was considering connecting a drip to your arm here, so whenever the morphine wears off, we can easily give you more," Carlisle explained, pointing at the crook of my elbow.

"So it will be going through my veins?" I asked somewhat disgusted- I was so used to healing quickly, and had never been in a hospital to have ever seen something that might make me squeamish. Don't get me wrong, I'm a brave guy, but the idea of a vampire sticking something into one of my veins was not appetizing at all.

"Correct," Carlisle answered. "But before I do that, I was wondering whether you could tell me where the pain is most intense- if the pain is solely from when you hit your head, then it is likely the pain will disappear with a good night's rest. But if there is potential damage to your brain, morphine may be the answer until I can get a proper scan-"

"Wait, wait, I could have brain damage?" I asked in disbelief, my heart immediately racing. Turning towards Edward I took a couple of 'deep' breaths to try to calm myself down.

"I feel it is unlikely," Carlisle said seriously, evidently concerned by my increasing panic. "But I need to be sure."

"You couldn't have done this sooner?" I demanded. "What if it is too late?"

"As I said," Carlisle began, as calmly as he could, kneeling down a little so my face and his were level. "I checked your vitals whilst you were sleeping. Your eyes have not blown," I didn't dare ask him what that meant. "Your pulse was strong and I couldn't feel any brain swelling, but you were not conscious so if something I did would have hurt you, I need to know."

"So now I'm awake, you want to try again?" I asked in disbelief.

Carlisle took a deep breath. "Yes."

I nodded without really thinking about what I was agreeing to, and while I was still lost in thought, I felt ice wrap around my head, until I realised they were Carlisle's fingers. I closed my eyes, but my mind was not at rest- I was paying attention to every movement the vampire next to me made, and was surprised to realize that the doc was very gentle even though I knew he could crush my skull with his hands if he wanted. I swear he must have covered every millimeter of my head at least twice until he was satisfied that no swelling was evident and I was just in general pain from my 'accident'. I was relieved of his discovery and relaxed a little. It was 3 in the morning, and this discovery had me hoping that I could go home later that day after some rest. Then I remembered my father and knew I had to call him and soon for he would definitely be worried about me. Now that I was in the clear, I wanted to call him at least with that certainty, which would hopefully distract him from the fact that I was surrounded by vampires and the very doctor he told me never to see.

But before I could think any further, Carlisle had moved towards my left arm and began moving his fingers in the crook of my elbow. I immediately pulled away from him; it was one thing to feel him touch me, but a whole other to see it. Jasper moved towards me, as if ready to stop any reaction I may have made towards his father, not that the doc would have needed his help mind you. Even Edward stiffened when he heard what I was thinking and the tone I was taking. I knew what the doc was doing, touching my arm like that, and there was no way I was letting him stick anything into my arm- the idea made me sick. But the eldest vampire was patient, and not knowing my thoughts, asked me what was wrong.

"Stop touching me," I hissed, as I attempted to rip my arm away from Carlisle again.

The vampire looked at me with inquisitive eyes.

"You allowed me to examine your head mere seconds ago," he pointed out, evidently confused by my reaction.

"You are not going to stick anything into me!" I yelled, shaking slightly. Despite my anger and fear, I knew I was too weak to phase.

"Even if it takes away the pain?" Carlisle ventured, seeming not to notice how much I was shaking, but of course, he would have realised- he was just good at hiding it.

At the doc's words, I had to pause to consider his point. My head was still killing me- surely after hours of such pain, I deserved a break. But at what cost?

_I have allowed a vampire to examine my head for bumps, swelling and whatever else, but to stick a needle in me? To allow him to connect me to a bag full of liquid morphine that HE has control over when he doesn't even know how much of the stuff my body can take? Not to mention my upbringing- my father making me swear I would seek any other doctor for assistance before Dr. Cullen- he was already going to kill me. There was no way I could trust Carlisle, no matter how gentle he seemed- almost human- he was still a vampire who thirsted for my blood._

I remained silent throughout this entire thought process. When I had finished thinking, about to inform the doc that I will remain in pain for the rest of the day and hope to god it would end soon, I heard quick whispers leaving Edward's mouth. I watched the doctor's expression, which went from sadness, to disappointment, and then to hopefulness. I had no idea what Edward was saying to him, but I knew I was not going to like it. In a flash, Edward and Jasper had left the room and I was left alone with Carlisle. Trying to breathe, I turned away from the creature and took a deep breath. I was surprised to hear how unsteady my breathing was. I tried to calm myself, but it wasn't really working.

Carlisle sat on the end of the long bed and looked at me sympathetically.

_Oh great. _I said to myself. _I'm about to get a pep-talk._

But I was not expecting the first words that came out of the doctor's mouth.

"Do you know how old I am Jacob?" he asked as if we were friends.

"No," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady- how dare Edward do this to me? "But I know you are the oldest vampire in your coven," I added; I wasn't completely oblivious.

I saw the corner's of Carlisle's mouth turn up slightly as he continued. "Yes, correct. But to be more precise, I am just over 300 years old."

I stared at the doctor, trying to imagine what it would be like to live for so long- no wonder why they had a mansion for a house and fancy cars; the build up of his income over the three centuries would have made them millionaires!

I heard a faint chuckle coming from downstairs and knew Edward must have heard my thoughts.

_Butt out!_ I mentally shouted at him.

"And in those 300 years," Carlisle continued, taking my silence to mean I had comprehended him. "I have _never_ tasted human blood."

This was a shock to me- I stared at him in disbelief. _Never? I mean never? Not once? How was that even possible? _As if he could hear me, Carlisle replied:

"I care about people," he told me simply. "When I was still human, innocent people were being burned alive- accused of a crime they did not commit. I felt guilty because my father was responsible for their deaths. I was a compassionate human being, and that trait was exacerbated when I was turned into a vampire. It was those feelings that eventually inspired me to become a doctor- to care for the human beings I can save, given the many that die each year because of my kind," Carlisle said sorrowfully, and I couldn't help but believe him.

Moving closer to me, though not too close, Carlisle captured my gaze, and as much as I tried to pull away, I felt drawn to his honey coloured eyes.

"Edward has just informed me that your father does not trust me- I understand his prejudice, as much as it saddens me," he paused, apparently in reflection of this fact. He then continued gently: "but if he knew the situation you are currently in, I am sure he (like any other decent father) would prefer you to be relieved of agony, even if that means trusting a vampire."

"I can't," I whispered. "Every part of me refuses."

"I will not harm you in any way Jacob," Carlisle continued to push his point, however patiently.

"No," I grunted through my teeth and then forced myself to take a breath, which was getting harder to do the longer I lay there in Carlisle's presence.

"Jasper can help keep you calm, if you let him," Carlisle offered. "I feel it is very important you get a reprieve from your pain- Jasper and Edward both feel it is intense."

"Nothing I can't handle," I muttered, averting my gaze from the doctor's.

"You are my patient, Jacob, not my enemy. I already know you are strong and brave- refusing pain killers will not prove that fact to me or any member of my family," Carlisle persisted; evidently he was trying to force my guard down and I hated that it was working.

"If I- if I went through with it, what would you do?" I asked hesitantly, trying to contain my gasps of pain as my head ached.

My question brought a smile to the vampire's face, and when I looked up at him, I had never seen anyone who looked so hopeful. But then he became serious again.

"May I touch your skin?" he asked. I nodded, thinking that his request must be relevant to his demonstration of what he would do.

Slowly, I watched as the vampire's stark white fingers moved towards my left arm. I held my breath, staring, wishing he would just touch me already. When he finally did, his skin felt icy against mine, but he was gentle- I suppose I knew he would be.

"I would disinfect the area just here," he began, rubbing his thumb on the crook of my elbow. "Then I would stick a piece of very thin tubing into one of your veins, perhaps this one," he added, pointing to the large blue vein sticking out of my arm. I cringed, but tried to keep my gut steady. "The tube will be connected to one of these," he continued, pointing to a clear bag containing a liquid, "which is filled with morphine." I nodded my understanding. "Finally, I will place tape over where the tube enters your arm so it stays stable. Throughout the procedure it is imperative that you remain calm and as still as possible. I will also need you to relax your arm," he said gently as he moved his hands to my left bicep and began to rub it gently. It was only then that I realised I was flexing my arm the entire time he was talking to me. I didn't know how I was going to stop doing that, but after a while of Carlisle's persistent rubbing, I no longer felt agitated.

"Okay," I mumbled, barely audible except to the blonde vampire in front of me. "But just- be careful," I finished, not able to meet his eyes.

"Of course… I always am, Jacob," the doctor calmly replied. I then smelt Edward and Jasper re-enter the room- Carlisle must've notified Edward of my intentions via his thoughts.

The moment Edward resumed his position next to me, I took in a deep breath of his smell- god I really needed that; I couldn't breathe properly around Carlisle yet. It really annoyed me when I saw Edward smirk, evidently amused by how much I 'needed' him. This was SO not funny.

I hadn't realised that Carlisle was ready to begin. I gulped, and felt even more distressed when Jasper approached my bed. Why did they all have to be watching me? Yet even as I thought it I knew why: I may need them… how pathetic was that? Needing vampires…

I jumped when I felt Carlisle gently rub the crook of my elbow with what I assumed was disinfectant.

"Are you okay, Jacob?" Carlisle asked looking at me as he continued to clean the area.

"Fine," I replied, not able to meet his gaze.

I watched apprehensively, my heart pounding like crazy, as the doc picked up the thin, minute tubing which was completely insignificant compared to the size of my arm. Yet I had never been so apprehensive about something so small.

"It will feel like a little prick, you will hardly feel it," Edward reassured me, his hand on my shoulder. I hoped he was right. I turned away from my arm- I couldn't watch this. Jasper was tense as he observed me, or perhaps he could feel how I was feeling, trying to detect whether I would snap. I knew I could trust Carlisle, but even so, I just wanted it to be over. I squeezed my eyes shut, but remembered to keep my arm relaxed. I felt the little prick as the needle went into my skin, and I forced myself not to think about it. Both Edward and Jasper were on edge, the former watching his father while the latter glared at me… both of them looked as if they too wanted this moment to be over. I felt Carlisle apply pressure with his thumb as he used his other hand to peel some tape across my elbow where I had just been pricked.

"Well done Jacob," the doctor commended me, as I exhaled in relief. "I'm finished now, but please remember not to move your arm too much. And try to relax," he insisted, though as he spoke the words, it was clear he didn't quite believe such a request was possible for me.

"Thanks," I mumbled, turning my head towards my arm and Carlisle for the first time in what felt like hours, but was really barely a minute. A swallowed back bile as I saw the plastic tubing sticking out of my arm- it was so wrong. I forced myself to turn away by looking at Carlisle instead. He gave me a warm smile and left the room, Jasper following him, nodding at me as he left.

"Here," Edward said as he flipped his mobile phone into my right hand, which I caught easily. "You may call your father now- but until Carlisle is certain you are fully recovered, we will not let you go home," he said gently, but in a tone that told me I would not be allowed to disobey.

"Well how long do you think it will take for him to be certain?" I fired back, my temper returning to me now that the horrors of the night seemed to be ending. "His idea and my idea of recovered are bound to be different."

Edward smiled. "Carlisle is reasonable- you are stronger than many of his patients; he will not keep you here unnecessarily, I promise."

"Right," I said a little bitterly- I hated feeling trapped here, and I hated it even more that I knew the reason why they wanted me here was because they cared, but try explaining that to Billy.

"Depending how you feel after some rest, Carlisle will decide how to proceed. You appear to have regained most of the blood you have lost, so if he is able to take you off the morphine without the pain resuming, then I don't see why you wouldn't be home by tonight."

It was only then that I realised the morphine was working; I couldn't feel my head pounding anymore. At that time, all I could think about was sleep- IF I could sleep with the stench of vampires around. But first thing's first- I needed to call my father.

At this thought, Edward left the room, but not before writing his address on a piece of paper from the night stand just in case my father wished to visit me in the short time between now and when I'd be free to return to La Push.

"I am trusting you to discourage the whole pack from visiting us, Jacob," he whispered in my ear as he placed the paper in my hand. I smiled in appreciation of his 'humour' and gave a half-hearted chuckle as I watched Edward leave the room and close the door behind him.

Finally some privacy- though of course I wasn't stupid; his whole family would be able to hear me, though I sincerely hoped they would try not to listen. The invasion of privacy between pack members is bad, but at least those who are listening are your brothers- these are my enemies, and Edward being able to hear my every thought made me feel like I was constantly been watched, that no thought was truly my own. But whatever, I had to suck it up- I couldn't let Billy know how I felt or he _would_ send the entire pack after me. Taking a deep soothing breath, which was easier without the vampires in the room, I dialed my home number.

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Author's note: So as I was saying at the end of the previous chapter, from now on, when I receive ten reviews for a chapter I will update (within a few hours due to time differences). If I don't get ten reviews, then I will update next weekend as usual. So please, please take the time to review (to help me, yourself and each other) and let me know what you think of the story so far Thanks once again for reading and to those of you who do review, I really appreciate it!


	6. Chapter 5 Words can hurt

Author's note: Hi everyone Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed and favourited 'Trust me' it means a lot! I haven't reached 10 reviews yet, but I've decided that I'll update every Tuesday and Saturday from now on (it is currently Wednesday night in Australia, but starting this Saturday I will update on these two days). But of course, reviews are still GREATLY appreciated. I LOVE reviews; they really make my day Thank you to everyone who has already made my day special :D So here is the next chapter- I hope you enjoy it!

Trust me

Chapter 5- Words can hurt

Edward's POV

I knew Jacob did not want me, or any of us, to hear him speak to his father, but my curiosity got the better of me. After I left the room, I closed the door and stood to the side, listening to all the sounds around me, from Jacob's anxious breathing to my family conversing downstairs.

I waited patiently for Jacob's father to pick up the phone, which I could hear ringing through my mobile from inside Carlisle's office.

"Hello?" Billy Black said urgently, evidently expecting someone to call him regarding the whereabouts of his son.

Jacob paused for a moment, and I could see the sadness and fear in his thoughts- he hated that his father was so worried about him.

"Dad, it's me," was all he could say.

"Jake?" Billy asked in disbelief, but didn't wait for a reply. In the background I could hear another male voice speaking loudly- shouting at Billy: "Where is he?"

"Where are you Jake- we've been worried sick," Jacob's father demanded, and I could hear the real terror in his voice.

"I'm fine Dad," Jacob replied, trying to avoid telling his father his location, knowing that it would come to no good.

"Don't think I believe that for a moment," Billy replied angrily. "If you were fine, you would have called me after you completed your patrol, not some 6 hours later! It's 3 o'clock in the morning!"

"My- my phone broke," Jake replied weakly, knowing that he could not fool his father, though from what I could make of his thoughts- his statement was actually true.

"Even if that were true, you could have returned home or at least left the god-forsaken vampire territory- you know your brothers cannot venture there!"

"I know Dad, I know," Jacob whispered. "I'm sorry I worried you- I'm okay-"

"Do not lie to me Jacob Black!" Billy boomed into the phone. I cringed away from the sound; I had the distinct feeling he had some idea of where his son was, but how he knew, I could only guess.

"Dad-"

"Where are you?" Billy persisted and I knew the man wouldn't relent until he had his answer.

"I can't tell you Dad," Jake muttered weakly. It was difficult for me to experience how Jacob was feeling. He felt entirely helpless in my house, and his father being angry at him was not helping.

"You are on their territory aren't you?" his father demanded. "You cannot return home- there can be no other explanation," Billy said more logically than I was expecting. "Your brothers spent all night looking for you, but there was no trace of your scent. Explain to me why you couldn't have given me a call!"

"I wanted to Dad." _So much, _Jake added in his thoughts. I turned away from the room, feeling guilty for preventing the boy from calling home. I foolishly didn't realize how concerned his father would be. I was too worried about the safety of my family and our agenda, rather than thinking about what was best for Jacob.

"Then why didn't you?" Billy asked, more gently now, for he could sense, like me, that Jacob was on the verge of tears.

"I wasn't allowed," Jake whispered so quietly that I was surprised Billy heard him. I heard a sharp intake of breath from Billy as he registered what this meant.

"Who has you?" Billy asked dangerously. "Sam is with me- he will gather the pack and come to get-"

"No Dad," Jacob replied, his voice getting a little stronger. "Don't let them come- I should be home later today and I'll tell you everything then," he pleaded with his father, too tired to deal with any more of his father's anger and disappointment.

"You will tell me everything _now_, Jacob. I know you are with vampires, there is no other reason for you to be so secretive with me," Billy said, worry flavouring his tone. I saw in Jacob's mind that he was usually honest with his father- this act of dishonesty was truly hurting him.

Jacob took a deep breath. I could see in his mind that he intended to tell most of what transpired in the last few hours. He was anxious though; he felt his father believed my family captured him, rather than helped him.

"Before my patrol, I went to see Bella. She was with Edward, and we had a falling-out. I left Bella's place distracted- I foolishly hoped she would come after me, so I stayed on their side of the border, thinking that maybe Edward would come with her. After a while, I decided to return to Bella's place and demand we talk. As I was running, I was," Jacob took another deep breath, "bitten by Victoria."

There was silence.

"Jesus," Billy finally responded in a hissed whisper.

"What happened?" the same voice in the background demanded- I presumed it was Sam.

"Victoria bit Jacob."

"I'm okay," Jake butted in, trying to reassure them.

"You don't sound it, Son," Billy replied gently, now more concerned than angry that his son had left him hanging.

"I- I am physically fine," he said quietly. "Can I just finish the story?" he added hurriedly evidently trying to push aside his fear.

"Of course," Billy said, staying silent, waiting for his son to continue.

"I phased back into human form, without meaning too. I wanted to remain as a wolf, but the pain was too much. I fell and hit my head. Victoria was leaning right over me, but then smelling Paul and Embry, she ran away. She bit me on the back of my neck- I was losing a lot of blood. I didn't know what was going to happen to me and I felt too weak and was in too much pain to move, so I laid there in the hope that Paul and Embry would come back for me," Jake explained, clearly upset that he was not rescued by his brothers.

"They smelt your scent originally, but by the time they returned, having made sure Victoria was back on the other side of the boundary, they could no longer detect your smell," Billy explained.

"Well… well that would be because Edward found me," and I saw in Jacob's mind how he saw me as I approached him through the forest. God my eyes looked terrible.

"Edward?" Billy was barely able to speak my name.

"What was he doing there?" Sam demanded, and it sounded like his ear was right next to the phone, so he could hear what Jacob was saying.

"He was looking for me," Jake explained. "Bella told him to find me and apologise-"

Sam snorted.

"What did he do when he found you?" Billy continued urgently; evidently desperate for Jake to continue with his story.

"I made up a lie- a reason I was lying down as I was. He believed it at first, but then realised I must be unwell because I was not moving away from him, like any other wolf would have. He then smelt my blood." Billy gasped. "And then demanded I tell him what happened. I tried to resist, but in the end he saw it in my head-"

"Can he really read people's minds?" Billy butted in, sounding fearful.

"Yes," Jake said seriously. "So he knew what I was hiding. Like me, he feared what the venom was doing to me and after much convincing, I- I let him help me…" Jacob trailed off as the image of me sucking the venom out of his bite, filled his mind.

"How?" Billy demanded.

Jacob exhaled sharply. "It doesn't matter- in the end, he took me back to his house and-"

"Jacob!" Billy interrupted; he seemed to have noticed how Jacob glanced over how exactly I 'helped' him.

"Dad, please-" Jacob begged

"How did he help you? What did he need to do?"

"We don't even know if it was necessary-"

"Regardless, you must tell me everything that happened- every detail of your interaction with vampires," Billy said imperiously, and I could tell he wanted to know as much information about our kind as possible. I remembered that not even Billy knew what happened to werewolves when bitten by our kind, so this information was important to him and the pack- though at the moment it sounded like he was being an overprotective father, and frankly, I couldn't blame him.

"He- he removed the venom from my system," Jacob finally said, however reluctantly. It took Billy only five seconds to put two and two together.

"Jacob…" but his tone was sympathetic now. Jacob's father could say no more, but Sam could.

"He drank your blood?" Sam questioned in disbelief, evidently asking the question Billy couldn't bear to utter.

"Yes- but it was the only way- the venom had been in my body so long, I could have died!" Jacob said hurriedly, wanting to emphasise why he allowed this 'monstrosity' to occur.

"And then what happened?" Billy continued, evidently not wishing to dwell on the fact that his son may owe his life to a vampire.

"Edward carried me to his home. I tried to resist, but he wanted his father to look me over before sending me home-"

"Dr. Cullen?"

"Yes, but Dad, I wanted to go home- I told him the pain from where I hit my head would go away, but then it got worse, and I was scared something could be wrong. I could hardly talk, so he took me." Jacob was talking quickly again in a hurry to explain as if he had to justify himself every time he trusted a vampire.

"You entered a house full of vampires whilst you were bleeding?" Billy spoke as if his son was stupid, which made me feel angry- what other option did Jacob have?

"Dad- I had no choice; I was barely conscious. Edward made sure only his father, mother and one of his brothers were there, and- and he tried to make things as comfortable as possible…"

"Yet he prevented you from calling me," Billy objected.

"He didn't want the entire pack invading his house!" Jacob defended me. "He promised me I could call you once Carlisle had examined me."

"Carlisle?" Billy hissed dangerously.

"Dad," Jake breathed, exasperated. "Please listen to me. I didn't want any of this, I fought against them whenever I could- but I found it difficult because Edward and the doctor- they wanted to help me," Jake explained, sounding emotional now.

I closed my eyes and I continued to listen to their conversation, bracing myself for how Billy would react.

"You feel the monsters who left Bella to dwell in depression for a year would care about you? A werewolf?" Billy yelled, clearly upset by his son's naivety.

"Dad, I hate them more than you for what they did to Bella- especially Edward!" Jacob yelled back, through tears. "But they were trying to protect her from what they are-"

"Then they should have stayed away!"

"And if they did, Dad," Jacob sobbed. "Where would I be right now?"

It took every ounce of effort I possessed, not to barge through the doors and yell at Billy for placing his prejudice before his son's health. I continued to stand completely still outside the room, anger radiating from my body.

"Jake-" Billy tried to speak, but seemed unable to continue when he realised how upset he had made his son.

"Dad, I can't have you be mad at me," Jake choked. "Today has been the worst day of my life; I've never felt so useless- I couldn't phase, I could hardly breathe when all I could smell was vampire stench and every ounce of my body wanted to run away from here. I have had to trust vampires with my life, and I am still here. Despite the blood, none of them harmed me- Dr. Cullen has never even tasted human blood and has no intention of starting, and Edward didn't even drain me of blood, even though he could have! I allowed a vampire to stick a needle in me to give me morphine and felt more useless than I ever thought possible. Even though I am terrified being here in their house, a part of me knows they will not hurt me because they just spent hours of their time trying to help me."

Jacob was too emotionally spent to continue, but after a moment, Billy spoke again, his tone gentle.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Jake. I suppose I had to be there to fully understand exactly how these vampires have helped you. I am proud of you for being so brave Jacob. If Dr. Cullen and Edward really did save your life, then I can only praise you for trusting them."

_It was hard not to, _Jacob said to himself, though didn't relay this to his father.

"It took everything I had to let them help me," Jacob admitted.

"I'm sure it did- I doubt even I could put my feelings aside to accept help from such creatures- which would have been to my own detriment, if what you tell me is true."

"It is," Jacob said, evidently relieved that his father finally believed him.

"Do you think it would be okay if Sam came to visit you in a few hours?" Billy asked in a different tone, one of curiosity. "He will not cause trouble."

_Yeah, right, _Jacob thought doubtfully, but evidently his desire to see someone from his pack was too great to say no.

"It should be okay, but just Sam- the others may not be able to withstand the stench without wanting to phase."

Billy relayed this message to Sam, incase the latter had not heard precisely what Jacob said. Sam agreed not to phase unless he was provoked, and to keep the rest of the pack away.

"Sam will visit you around 9. Will 6 hours sleep be enough? Do you think that time will suit the Cullens?" Billy asked, not quite able to keep the irony out of his tone.

"I'm used to getting little sleep, so I think I'll be fine Dad. And I don't think the Cullens will mind; they don't sleep," Jacob said.

"Right."

I heard Jacob tell his father my family's address; presumably reading it off the piece of paper I gave him. Once he was done, Billy continued gently:

"I am relieved you are okay Jacob. Try to get some rest. Sam will come to check up on you soon and all of your brothers are thinking of you."

Jacob took a deep breath, small sobs escaping from his chest. "Yep."

"I love you son," Billy said hoarsely.

"Love you too, Dad," Jake whispered, barely able to control his emotions.

"I am sorry for yelling at you- I was just afraid… I knew something terrible must have happened, and you being at the Cullen's house confirmed my worst fears," Billy tried to explain.

"I know Dad- I'm sorry too."  
>"Have some rest so you stay strong and remember- I am proud of you. I'm not angry."<p>

By this stage Jake was beyond words; all he could do was nod then forced himself to say: "I know Dad."

"Good night, Jake."  
>"Night Dad."<p>

I heard Jacob press the 'end' button on my phone, just in time before he was overcome with sobs. I truly felt for the boy; it took every ounce of self-control I had not to invade his privacy. I even placed my hand on the doorknob, but I couldn't bring myself to open it; Jacob wanted to be left alone and more importantly, he needed to rest. I moved away from the door and was about to turn towards the stairs when Jasper appeared by my side, confused as to why I had not attempted to console Jacob.

"He does not want to be disturbed," I explained quickly to my brother, speaking too fast for even Jacob to understand me, if he were able to hear. "If he found out I was eavesdropping, it would only turn his sadness into anger."

"He is upset," Jasper said seriously in the same hurried whisper. "I do not know what he and his father were discussing, but his emotions are intense," Jasper said, justifying why he came up stairs when Jacob finally had the opportunity to cry. Jasper and I both turned to the door, as we heard Jacob take a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Jasper hoped Jacob would fall asleep soon, and I shared his wishes.

"He has had a long day," I asserted sympathetically, knowing that of my family, only Jasper would truly understand how true that was. "Thank you for being with us today, Jasper; I know you were not comfortable in Jacob's presence, but I hope you see now why I needed you," I said, placing my hand on my brother's shoulder.

Jasper nodded once and turned towards the closed door, his face still and unmoving. I knew it had been hard for Jasper to feel the pain, helplessness and fear that Jacob felt and was still feeling. To not be allowed to comfort him, in the strange way Jasper can, was difficult for him to endure. I squeezed my fingers around Jasper's shoulder and then moved him towards the stairs, away from where Jacob was now trying to sleep, fear and pain tainting his mind. I knew Jasper wanted nothing better than to open the door, slide in and make Jacob calm, but I couldn't let him; I was sure the boy would hear him. I resolved to keep a part of my mind centered on Jacob's dreams, as I reluctantly descended the stairs with Jasper; our family was waiting for us.

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Edward's POV continued…

For the first time in my life I was not happy to see my entire family gathered in our house. Of course, I love them, but it was the thoughts they carried in their minds that did nothing to encourage confidence in them.

"You're back," I said as cheerfully as I could as I walked behind Jasper down the stairs into our living room.

Alice skipped over to me and while this move would suggest she was happy with me, she was not. I managed to duck when she went to hit me over the head with one of the nearby magazines we use for show, but then, seeing me avoid her attack, hit me again across my chest; it didn't hurt of course, but I was surprised by her aggression.

"Alice," I said slowly, knowing why she was so upset with me. "I am sorry for-"

"Making me blind!" she shrilled. "I had no idea what was happening to you, and you couldn't even tell me, at the very least, that the were_wolf_, being _singular_ was practically incapacitated! I was thinking the entire pack was on you!" she yelled, her eyes glaring at me. Despite her anger, I knew it only stemmed from her love for me, so I appreciated her hitting me insofar that it showed how much she cared.

I shook my head, smiling a little at my sister. "If I was calling to engender Carlisle's assistance, surely it wasn't I who was-"

"You could have been injured! Don't blame me for not being able to think straight; I couldn't see you!"

"I'm sorry Alice," I gave in, resigned with my hands up.

"I can't believe you brought him here," Alice hissed. "You may have put us all in danger," she continued, sliding past me to wrap her arms around Jasper's neck in greeting. "I still can't see properly, though I can see bits and pieces now that he is upstairs."

Emmett snorted in derision. "You make it sound like the werewolves have a chance," he said in mock disbelief. "If they come, we'll give them a fight."  
>"There will be no fighting," Carlisle said calmly, standing in the centre of the circle we had somehow formed without realising. "We will give them their brother- that is all they want from us," Carlisle explained, glancing between us all, focusing primarily on Rosalie, who was livid with me. But before she could express this thought, I felt I needed to inform my family of the conversation that took place between Jacob and his father.<p>

"Jacob's father and Sam, the leader of the pack are now aware of his location and the full story as to our part in his injury, but also his healing. Sam will be arriving here at 9 o'clock this morning, so if you-"

I stopped abruptly when I heard Rosalie hiss.

"We must leave again?" she asked, staring daggers at me.

"No," I said seriously. "Now that Jacob is settled, you may stay- Sam has promised not to phase unless he is provoked," I continued, knowing that most of my family would agree to keep our side of the bargain.

But Rosalie wasn't having it. Her teeth were bared in frustration: "Our mere presence will provoke him, Edward!"  
>"He is better controlled than that-"<p>

"How would you even know- you've never met the mutt!" she screamed furiously, aggravated by my trust in our enemies.

"The consequences that would arise if he cannot control his temper are far worse for him than they are for us!" I hissed at Rosalie, taking a step closer to her in frustration.

"And if one of us kills him because he couldn't suck it up and stay human?" she shrieked. "They will know what happened-"

"And our defense would be that he didn't maintain his side of the deal- Jacob would know that."  
>"And how would he know? He's lying down upstairs moping over Bella!" she spat, pointing to the second floor. "He is so pathetic, he would turn on you in an instant- he doesn't care what you and Carlisle have done for him-"<p>

I flew at Rosalie, Carlisle's warning hand, doing nothing to stop me from towering over her in rage.

"Hey man," Emmett began, pushing me back.

"Stay out of this Emmett," Rosalie said sharply, pushing her way past Emmett to me.

Facing me, Rosalie remained silent; she did not want her cruelty to be heard by our family, only me.

"He is not pathetic-" I insisted through gritted teeth.

_Do you really think so? Or is it because you've been doing the same for the past 6 months?_

I was so furious there were no words that left my mouth, only growls and hisses, which only intensified when Rosalie began to laugh.

_I can't believe Victoria was able to attack him to begin with- doesn't he have ears? Or a nose?_

"He was distracted!" I growled at her as I pushed against Carlisle and Jasper's arms which I hadn't noticed on me before. I was slowly gaining on her inch by inch despite their attempts to restrain me.

_By Bella, right? _She assumed, in a tone that I associated with blonde, teenage bitches, which summed Rosalie's personality to a 'T'.

"He was upset!" I screamed so loudly, I thought my throat would tear from the force. Thankfully my shouting did not cause Jacob to wake- the poor boy was in a deep, much needed sleep.

"Rosalie, do not do this to Edward," Esme implored, evidently concerned for me, and indirectly, for her safety.

_And that wouldn't be your fault, would it? _She tortured me, ignoring Esme's request.

"Let me go!" I yelled, yanking my arms out from Jasper and Carlisle's grasp.

"You will hurt her!" Alice insisted.

"I don't care; she is no family of mine!" I thundered, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I had never been so enraged or hurt by someone's thoughts before. I couldn't handle her taunts.

"Aww, you care for him," Rosalie said in a baby's voice, speaking aloud for the first time since she began to torture my conscience. "You helped him because you felt

responsible-"

I felt the mood in the room change as people began to realise the potential truth in her words, yet in my mind, I knew that was not my reasoning and it wasn't Jacob's either; I would have helped him regardless. Yet my response to Rosalie's attempt at uncovering my motives, only functioned to support her claim. My lips pulled back, revealing my teeth, and judging by the look on her face and Emmett's, my expression was frightening.

"He needed my help- responsibility had nothing to do with my actions!"

_If he wanted your help he would have told you what happened the moment you found him. _She smirked in her mind. Her comment only made me more furious as I crouched in front of her- she may know what happened, but she clearly did not understand the thoughts and feelings of either party.

"You don't understand anything! He was terrified! How can you be so thick not to understand that? Of course he didn't trust me when I found him; he was bleeding for crying out loud!"

_Yet, you insisted you help and now he must be immensely grateful, _she thought sarcastically. Then her thoughts took a girly, mocking tone. _Oh, thank you so much Edward for bringing me to your home and looking after me. I had to trust you with my life and now you've won me over; vampires aren't so bad after all. _Then her thoughts became bitter and I felt a hiss escape through my teeth. _Living in a house full of vampires, been forced to lie to his father, relying on you, Edward Cullen to protect him! If I were him, I would be wishing you had left me to die instead!_

"Don't push me, Rosalie!" I muttered through my teeth. I could feel the rest of my family closing in on us however cautiously, but I didn't move to attack her- I was still in control.

_Why did you bring him here anyway, Edward? Some pathetic romantic thing you have going on? Oh, the guilt of leaving Bella here at the hands of Victoria, I must now rescue the werewolf who kept her alive and sane because of what I di-_

I felt my legs spring forward, only to be pulled harshly back by Jasper and Carlisle, who had their arms around my torso. Rosalie was smirking behind Emmett's protective stance, so glad that she was able to rile me up. She hated the wolves and the stench that Jacob brought into the house- she wanted to live her life as she wanted; why should she have to be inconvenienced because her brother wanted to rescue a wolf?

I was pushing with all my strength against the arms that bound me, that it took all of my effort to focus on Alice's singing voice and Carlisle's soothing words.

"You will hurt her Edward," Alice said seriously, but in her famous Alicey tone.

"Calm down, Son," Carlisle said in my ear. "Rosalie was not here to see what we went through with Jacob. You know her prejudices and her hate of being inconvenienced. Let her express her anger-"

"She is being cruel, that's why she isn't speaking aloud- you and Esme would not appreciate her attitude," I told my father in between attempts to break through the barricade he and Jasper had created around me. At this he looked over at Rosalie and said in a tone that reminded all of us why he was the head of our family:

"Stop. Now. Edward was trying to help someone who means a lot to _Bella," _Carlisle emphasized and then paused before continuing. "If anyone does not wish to be here when Sam arrives, then you are welcome to leave, but those who remain need to respect the deal made between Sam and Jacob- he doesn't want a fight to occur and we must not jeopardise his road to recovery."

"Oh whatever," Rosalie snorted. "The wolves know where we live- we're not safe from them anymore," she stated, not out of fear, but as an accusation against me; she felt I had put my family in danger.  
>"They will not attack us," Esme said gently but with certainty, walking over to us and placing her hand on my shoulder. "Given everything the wolves have done, such as protecting the town from Victoria and most especially, protecting Bella," she looked at me briefly. "The least we could do is help Jacob when he needs us."<p>

"And what about us? I wonder if Edward ever considered what would happen when he brought a werewolf home! Did he think when the mutt was all well and mended, he would leave and never return? Never tell his brothers where we lived? Never used his knowledge of our whereabouts to get revenge should Edward lose it and turn Bella?"

"Rosalie!" Carlisle interrupted her in a commanding voice, whilst simultaneously struggling to keep me away from her, as my snarl echoed off the walls.

My vision was an angry red and I wanted nothing more than to rip her to shreds, and I knew I would have succeeded because every measly thought moving through her tiny brain gave me ammunition to hurt her.

"Werewolf or not, he is a human being has been bitten by our kind. I vowed to myself centuries ago to do what I could to protect those who fall victim to our kind's ways of hunting, or in this case, attacking."

"It was not your fault that Victoria attacked him, Carlisle!"

"No, but it is our fault that she is here, Rosalie."

Rosalie didn't need to say what was in her thoughts for my family to know what she was thinking. A vicious growl escaped up my throat and through my teeth. I do not remember feeling so angry at anyone, let alone my sister.

"Edward killed James to protect Bella. I hope we all would have done the same to save her," Carlisle implored, looking around at my family, who I knew were tensed, ready to prevent me from attacking Rosalie should I be able to force my way through Jasper and Carlisle's grasp and Emmett's protection. "Victoria may be after Bella, but it is because of us that James is dead. Do not aggravate Edward any further Rosalie, he isn't well," Carlisle tried to reason with Rosalie, though at the time, I didn't think about his words- I felt perfectly fine.

"I am merely telling the truth, Carlisle. Our lives revolve around his drama- it's so pathetic. I wish everything were back to normal, but no, we have a werewolf in our house who probably doesn't even deserve to be saved!"

I felt Carlisle's grip release me- one down, two to go. I lashed out at Rosalie's spoilt face, only for her face to be replaced by Jasper's. It was only then that I realised that Jasper was trying to alter my mood, but his shocked face indicated to me that he wasn't succeeding. I felt both of Jasper's hands resting on my upper arms, his fingers tightly entwined around them as he stared at me. I glared at the multiple scars that lined his face, before I forced myself to look into his eyes.

"Edward," he said seriously, following my gaze as I tried to turn away from him and back to Rosalie. "Do not listen to her; she is the least humane of us all, and while some of her fears may be warranted, I do not believe Jacob or Sam poses a threat to us."

Rosalie hissed, but no one paid her any attention. "I am trying to calm you down, but it isn't working is it? If I let you go, you would try to dismember Rosalie, wouldn't you?"

I stared at him, trying to push Rosalie out of my mind, but I couldn't- my desire to hurt her for the things she said and the things she thought overpowered everything else- only Jasper's concern held me where I was. "I can feel your pain and your anger, Edward, but there is nothing I can do to calm you. You _need,_" and I heard the emphasis he made here, "to feed."

His last word shocked me- I didn't feel thirsty, but then the more I thought on it, the thirstier I became. The burning was intense and without meaning to, my hand went to my throat and I started to rub it furiously trying to remove the burn; I did not want Rosalie to win because I couldn't wait any longer to satiate my thirst.

"Edward," Carlisle said gently, but seriously, his hand squeezing my right shoulder. "When was the last time you fed?" he asked, moving around to stand next to Jasper so they were both able to look into my eyes.

"I believe it was just before I went to the Volturi," I said a little weakly, trying to count how many weeks it had been. Thankfully, Carlisle was in a better place to do the math.

"Edward, you need to feed, it's been six weeks."  
>Esme gasped. She wondered how I had maintained enough self-control not to kill Bella or Jacob since I returned from Italy.<p>

"I will, after she pays," I hissed.

"No Edward," Alice intervened. Jasper didn't like his partner being so close to me when I was in this non-negotiable state- my thirst must have been making me blind to reason and self-control. "If you do not feed soon, you will hurt her."

"Good-"

"I will not let you," Alice continued, looking at me as if trying to apply to my better half- the small part of me that loved my family and wouldn't want to kill any of its members. "Feed," she persisted. "And if you still want to kill Rosalie when you return, then I will not stop you."

I looked around me and saw my family stare at me in anticipation for my attack; despite Alice's attempt to calm me, none of them felt I was capable of being deterred. The area where my stomach was, squeezed painfully; I felt like a monster. My deprivation of blood had made me vicious beyond reasoning. In full force, my thirst returned and I grabbed my head with one hand, my throat with the other, and I could see my tortured face and my black and purple eyes reflected in all of theirs. I looked like a monster- I didn't understand how Jacob was able to look at me without flinching.

"Okay," I whispered, not looking at anyone, feeling embarrassed that I needed to leave and for causing such a scene. "But keep her," I growled under my breath, not clarifying who I was talking about, for it would be obvious to everyone present, "away from him."

"I will look after him until you return," Jasper promised and I could see in his mind that he meant it.

"Thank you," I said, barely able to speak.

"I will check his vitals shortly," Carlisle added, and I nodded at him- of course, I could trust Carlisle.

"I may visit Bella after I hunt," I said on my way out. "I need to ensure she is safe… she does not know what is happening."

_The werewolves kept her safe the past 6 months without your help, I doubt she needs you._

"Will someone shut her up?" I choked out. It took everything in my power not to turn around and wring her neck; the thirst for blood was too strong.

"Calm down, Edward. Leave; she isn't worth it," Jasper encouraged me, pushing me gently through the door trying again, though unsuccessfully, to soothe me. I nodded my head at him, which he returned, then closed the door behind me.

I ran away from my house and into the night, wanting nothing more than to satiate my thirst and escape Rosalie's thoughts which were echoing in my mind. As much as I tried to stop them from continuing to torture me, I was unsuccessful until I had drained two bucks and a mountain lion.

Author's note: So what did you guys think? Did you feel that Rosalie and Billy's characters were pretty in line with canon? I'll update on Saturday. Until then, take care and please remember to leave me a review


	7. Chapter 6 Help him

Author's note: Thank you SO much to everyone who has reviewed; I really appreciate it and it makes me so happy! And thank you to all the new people who are reviewing and letting me know what they think! It's great to hear from you I hope you all enjoy this chapter… I won't say any more than that ; )

Response to reviews (let me know if you would prefer me to PM these to you instead):

Yodall: I'm so glad that I was able to make your morning beautiful! Thanks heaps for your review, don't worry I was able to understand it even though English is not your first language Yes, Billy was definitely stressed and scared which is why he was acting the way he was to Jacob. And now… it's Saturday and you get to find out what happens next!

Sweet7smiled: Yes Rosalie was especially nasty (I see her as being quite a nasty piece of work, but I have to admit, it's useful to have such a character at one' disposal to create conflict ;)) And I laughed when you wrote about Bella because the reason why no one has thought of Victoria coming after Bella is because I haven't thought of Victoria coming after Bella! It's stupid I know, but this story really is about Jacob and Edward. In my story, Victoria does exactly what she does in canon except for biting Jake.

RainGoddess2040: Haha, yes Jacob and Edward both need some TLC for sure! And Rosalie does need to die for what she said and Billy does need to chill a bit, but at the same time, I hope it's understandable why he is very worried and on-edge. So glad you were able to relate to Edward with regard to both Billy and Rosalie. Yay!

Sean24: If only you could submit 10 reviews! That would be wonderful, but I am pretty sure doesn't allow you to But thanks for trying! So glad you loved this update! I almost cried for Jacob when I wrote it too. And yes, the Cullens are very sweet; they're working very hard to protect and help him. Rest assured it's not over yet! :P

1sweetmoment: Wow, thank you so much for your review! As Jacob and Edward are my favourite Twilight characters, I am glad I was able to improve your liking of Edward! 'Trust me' is my depiction of how I see Jacob and Edward (and yes, Edward is very understanding; due to his mind reading ability, I see him as capable of a lot of empathy), so I'm so happy you like it! Thanks for your comments on Billy too; I'm relieved my version of him is a plausible one And yes, I tend to write emotionally intense scenes, so rest assured, this will not be the last!

Eruhin: Thanks so much for all your reviews! Congratulations on catching up! Carlisle does feature quite a bit in my story (I love him too), but not as much as Edward and Jacob obviously Very glad you thought I did both Billy and Rosalie justice, I completely agree with what you said about their personalities

'Trust me'

Chapter 6- Help him

Bella's POV

I was relieved when Alice told me that Edward found Jacob, but it was infuriating she could not tell me anything further! Edward told me he would come back once he found Jake, but he didn't- he couldn't. Had something happened to him? Or to Jacob? Not even Alice knew, or if she did, she lied smoothly about it. I was trying fruitlessly to fall asleep for the last 3 hours, but I kept waking up in a cold sweat wondering where Edward could be. After everything that happened in Italy, we were more tightly bound than I ever thought possible. Yet only 2 days had passed since we returned to Forks, and once again he was not lying with me as I drifted off to sleep. I felt empty without him, and worried for him and Jake. I knew he couldn't stand being away from me unless he absolutely had to, so I knew something serious must have happened to keep him away.

It was 3:30 in the morning when I woke with a start, staring at the red highlights of my clock. I ran my fingers through my hair as I turned over to try to fall back to sleep- an image of Edward's face had woken me up. One moment my room was dark and still and then the next, Edward was standing there, his pale face glowing in the light of the moon.

"Edward," I breathed, relieved that he was with me now. I felt wide awake, even though I barely had any sleep.

Edward moved quickly over to me, gracefully lay on my bed and wrapped his strong arms around me, pulling me close to him.

"I missed you so much," he whispered in my ear as he inhaled the smell of my hair.

"I missed you too," I said dreamily, about to close my eyes; things were how they should be. But then, remembering the mystery surrounding his whereabouts for the last few hours, I sat up so I could see into Edward's eyes, which were a beautiful honey colour again.

"You had the chance to feed," I pointed out smiling; he had insisted, since getting back from Italy that he would not hunt because he wanted to spend every minute of his existence with me. I told him the idea was foolish- that making himself thirsty would not help either of us and does not make up for the suffering we both went through this past year. But he ignored me, shaking his head and smiling his crooked smile, saying that time was too precious.

"Yes," Edward answered rather stiffly as if disappointed with himself, but not wanting to show it.

"It's okay," I reassured him. "You need to feed and I'm glad you did. Is that where you went after you found Jacob?" I asked, trying to catch his eye, but he wouldn't look at me.

"Edward," I said gently, moving my hand to touch his cold face- his eyes closed at my touch and his left hand rested on top of mine as he pressed it to his cheek. "What is it?"

Edward pulled my hand away and held it in both of his hands. We were both sitting up, facing one another on my bed, and I could see a sadness in his eyes that I couldn't explain.

But before I could ask him if he was still beating himself up over leaving me tonight to feed, he spoke, his cool breath brushing across my face.

"I cannot stay with you tonight," he told me, the pain of his words evident in his voice. "I know I promised I would be with you every moment available to me, but I-"

"What happened?" I asked urgently, but quietly so Charlie wouldn't hear. "It must be very important or serious- not even Alice would tell me," I said more strongly, demanding an answer.

Edward sighed, a small smile creeping on his lips.

"At the time, Alice _could_ not tell you anything because she did not know exactly what I was doing," Edward explained. It took me a moment to realise why the difference between 'could' and 'would' was an important distinction- Alice always knew what was happening and I doubted that anything would be able to prevent her from telling me the truth, which meant that she…

"She couldn't see," I stated, finally understanding the indirect way Edward was telling me what happened.

Edward didn't affirm my response, but his face told me he was waiting for me to continue deducing the rest of the story.

"She couldn't see because you were with a werewolf? With Jacob?" I questioned, my tone rising with fear and excitement because I knew something more must have happened than Edward simply relaying my message to Jake.

Edward smiled, but didn't show his teeth.

"Edward, just tell me what happened! Stop hiding it from me, it's driving me crazy!" I insisted pulling on his arm like a little kid nagging their mother for sweets.

"I'm not hiding," he said seriously, pulling me towards his body as we leaned against my headboard together. I was resistant at first, but couldn't help being overcome by the gentle pressure on my body as he encouraged me to rest my head on his chest.

He began drawing swirls on my back, which he knew relaxed me. Then he admitted: "I'm just afraid of worrying you."

I knew it, I knew something was wrong, but of course, I couldn't let Edward know I was feeling anxious, so I tried to stay calm as I whispered into his chest: "You can tell me, Edward."

Edward rested his chin on the top of my head and I could feel his Adam's apple move a couple of times before he spoke. Was he upset? I couldn't tell. I wanted so badly to look into his face, but then I felt that maybe he was holding me like this to prevent me from doing just that.

"Jacob is currently sleeping- at my house," Edward said in barely more than a whisper. I squeezed Edward to me as I asked the question I am sure I didn't want the answer to.

"Why?"

Edward continued drawing on my back, as he kissed me on the top of my head, not answering.

"Edward," I demanded as I felt my eyes prickle. No, no, I couldn't get upset yet or he would never tell me… Damn, I knew he would smell my tears with his heightened vampire senses, but at least I could hide more from him than the average person. Edward didn't say anything about my tears, but hugged me tighter as his way of saying 'don't be upset; I'm here and everything will be okay'.

"When I found Jacob, he was lying on the ground apparently waiting for his brothers," Edward began hurriedly in an attempt to stop me from interrupting until he finished his story. "It took me fifteen minutes to realise," he continued evidently annoyed at himself, "that he was bleeding."

My heart skipped a beat. My mind immediately came up with several events that could have happened next and thousands of questions I wanted to ask, but upon hearing my shock through my racing pulse and tensed body, Edward continued, running his hand up and down my arm to soothe me.

"I was so distracted with him lying there, completely vulnerable and not moving, that the smell of his blood completely skipped my notice. I kept talking to him, and eventually saw in his mind that Victoria had bitten him."

"Oh no," I moaned as a sob escaped my lips. "Is he okay?" I pushed myself up onto my hands so I could see Edward's face again. His expression was unreadable, probably because he didn't fully know how to answer my question.

"He appears healthy and he was sleeping when I left home, so physically we think he will be okay," Edward replied hesitantly. It didn't surprise me in the slightest that Jake's emotional health would be a completely different story; the Cullens' would be the last place he would want to be.

"What happened when you found out?" I asked, wondering if Edward thought to suck the venom out, or more importantly, whether Jake would have let him.

"I looked at the bite, which was on the back of his neck, and asked him some questions. Apparently there is no information within the tribe about the side-effects experienced by werewolves who have been bitten by a vampire. Therefore, Jacob had no idea what would happen to him, but was convinced he would die. After much persuasion, he let me suck the venom out."

I felt my eyes open wide in shock. While I knew it would be the best method to remove the venom from Jake's system, I couldn't believe Jake had allowed Edward to do it.

"I was surprised too," Edward agreed, having read my face. "But mostly relieved; at that moment I knew removing as much of the venom as I could was the best strategy."

I nodded, still looking into his eyes, eager to hear more.

"He had a migraine- he hit his head when he phased back into a human after Victoria attacked him. He wanted to go home; we were not far from La Push, but I insisted he let me take him to Carlisle. He tried to fight me, but the pain became too intense for him to resist me, so he agreed. As I was running with Jacob, Alice called for the second time since I found him, demanding that I tell her what was happening, because she couldn't see. I told her again that I was fine, and to put Carlisle on the phone. Carlisle fixed up his office in preparation for Jacob's arrival and told everyone except Esme and Jasper to leave. Carlisle examined Jacob closely, making sure there was no evidence of brain damage, swelling or any sign that the venom remained in his system. All seemed well, except for his migraine, which Carlisle resolved by connecting a drip to Jacob's arm."

"I bet he didn't like that," I commented; I could barely imagine Jake allowing Carlisle to touch him, let alone stick a needle in his arm.

"He didn't, but when we finally convinced him it was the only way to reduce his pain, for tablets were useless due to his higher than average body temperature, he did well."

"Good," I breathed, relieved that his prejudices against vampires, which I had learned so much about this year, did not stop him from accepting the help he needed. "Does Billy know what happened?" I asked, realising only then that there were a bunch of werewolves who would object to vampires caring for their brother.

I felt Edward tense beside me. I let my arms, which were getting tired holding up my weight, lower me towards Edward as I lay next to him again.

"What's wrong Edward?" I asked, concerned; I could tell he felt guilty about something. But instead of answering my question, Edward ignored it and answered my previous one, his eyes empty and detached.

"Billy knows what happened. Sam is coming to visit Jacob later today."

"You don't think it will go well?" I asked sympathetically. Judging by the tone in his voice I guessed he wasn't hopeful.

Edward sighed, taking a deep breath as he did so. I had never noticed him breathe like that before; most of the time when he is upset or stressed, he freezes.

"I don't know," he replied, closing his eyes and placing his hand to his forehead to rub his temples.

I felt my eyebrows narrow as I pushed myself up onto my arms again and kissed Edward's lips, which didn't move against mine.

"Edward," I said louder than I meant to. I was panicking because he evidently was, though he showed it very differently than was usual for vampires. "Talk to me- do you think your family will have a problem with Sam? Or- or are you afraid Jacob may get worse?" I asked, my voice getting higher pitched and quicker as I continued to talk.

Edward removed his hand from his face to stroke my cheek, his lips curved into a half smile as he stared into my eyes.

"I really needed this," he whispered so quietly, I barely heard him.

"Needed what?" I asked feeling curious, because I knew he didn't just mean he needed to see me.

"A place where people's thoughts are not shouting at me. I can think more clearly here," he clarified, giving me the first real smile since he entered my room.

My heart warmed in sympathy for him. I ran my hand through his hair as I asked: "Was Jake giving you a hard time? I hope he was grateful for your help," I said more seriously. "I know I am."

"Believe it or not, Jacob was not the problem."

I searched Edward's face for an explanation, but couldn't find any.

"Who then?" I asked, feeling completely confused.

"Once Jacob had finished talking to his father, I went downstairs to find the rest of my family had returned home.

"Was it Rosalie?" I asked, knowing that of all of the Cullens, she would have the greatest problem with Jacob being around. "What did she say to you?" I demanded, ready to defend Edward at all costs- it was clear that Rosalie's thoughts had deeply affected him. Edward turned away from me, refusing to meet my gaze.

"She reminded me of my mistakes- regarding Jacob, my family, with- with you," and I was surprised to hear his voice break and immediately, I placed my hand under his chin to force him to look at me. He let me move his face. My chest tightened when I saw the look he gave me.

Guilt.

"Oh Edward," I whispered, as I gently wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me. "Don't let her get to you," I soothed. "You are a wonderful person and you have nothing to feel guilty about; you left to try and protect me, you saved Jacob, and you love your family. I won't let you feel this way."

"You cannot change how I feel, Bella. I should have been able to smell Jacob's blood sooner, I should have thought about the consequences of bringing Jacob home- a werewolf living with vampires," he hissed, evidently upset with himself. "Did I really expect my family to be fine with my decision, knowing that we would be obliged to reveal where we live to the pack? I should have let Jacob call his father sooner, so Billy would not have been so worried and made Jacob upset, and if I never fell in love with you to begin with, you would not have suffered because of me, and Jacob would not have been so distracted with the prospect of you becoming a vampire," Edward spat bitterly, still unable to meet my gaze.

"Is that why Victoria was able to attack Jacob? Because he was thinking about the fight we had?" I asked, feeling beyond terrible.

"This wasn't your fault, Bella," he said seriously; he saw where this conversation as going and he hated it when I blamed myself for anything, even if it was my fault.

"Well if it isn't mine, it most certainly isn't yours! You were trying to help him, Edward! You wanted to make sure he was okay-"

"Yes, but this was not how it was supposed to turn out-"

"Very little good could come from Jacob being bitten by Victoria- you did your best and I am sure he will see that eventually, if he hasn't already," I said seriously, now drawing circles on his chest. "Don't let Rosalie make you feel guilty about anything. If Carlisle was in your situation, he would have done the same."

Edward's tortured face snapped up; he was glaring at me. My heart began to pound in panic at the sight f him. "Carlisle told me to stay- he knew how much you loved me- how could I have been so blind? Even Rosalie knew- Rosalie!" He shouted through his teeth, frustrated and upset.

"You were trying to protect me in the only way you knew how! And when you found Jacob you could have taken him to La Push, but instead you decided to bring him to Carlisle. It makes sense to take someone who is sick to a doctor! Who knows what may have happened if you took Jacob home. What if they hurt you when you walked into La Push? What if Jacob did have brain damage or he couldn't control his pain through pain killers because of his temperature? What then Edward?" I implored. "You were taking a risk either way, just as you were with me," I told Edward, my cheeks wet with tears. Edward turned to me, and wiped away a tear with his thumb.

For a moment he was speechless, but eventually he answered me.

"I love you," he whispered. "Thank you."

"Thank you for helping Jake and for going through all this with Rosalie. You're doing the right thing," I told him as I snuggled next to him again, my hand rubbing circles on his chest.

"I hope so."

I closed my eyes as I felt Edward's body relax beside me and I knew that he was beginning to forgive himself for today's events and the memories Rosalie had brought up in him.

"Is Carlisle watching over Jacob while you're here with me?" I asked Edward through a yawn- I was getting sleepy now that I knew what was happening.

"Yes, he and Jasper."

"Jasper? I didn't think he would be supportive…" I trailed off, not wanting Edward to think I felt Jasper incapable of compassion towards werewolves.

"Jasper does not have a history of being sympathetic towards such creatures, but his gift, like mine, force us to empathise. Although Jasper does not know Jacob's every thought like I do, emotionally, he feels what Jacob feels and he can't help but want to protect someone who is upset and afraid," Edward explained and his words made sense to me. Jasper's gift, like Edward's was a blessing and a curse- he could influence others, feel what they feel and empathise with them, but that also makes it that much harder to walk away- to be detached. I was glad Jasper was supporting Edward and looking out for Jacob; I've always found it much easier to cope with Jasper around…

"Bella," Edward said quietly, moving me a little. I opened my eyes enough to see that the sun was rising. "Bella, love, I'm terribly sorry to wake you, but I wanted to say goodbye before I left."

With my eyes still closed, I asked without too much hope: "Can I come with you?"

"I'm sorry Bella; I cannot guarantee my house will be safe when Sam arrives. But I promise to return to you when I can."

I slowly nodded my head. "Okay," I whispered. "Look after Jake for me," I asked, knowing he would anyway even if I didn't ask. I felt Edward rub his thumb on the top of my hand.

"Of course, you know I will."

"I do," I whispered back, my eyelids too heavy to stay open.

"I love you," Edward breathed, kissing my forehead.

"Love you too," I said squeezing his hand. He kissed the top of my hand just before jumping out of my window.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edward's POV

It was near impossible to leave Bella; my chest was tugging me back to her. But I stayed strong; I needed to withstand the pressure, the pain, the longing to return to her- my true home. As I forced my feet to run forward, I focused my mind on two things: the hope that Rosalie had deserted us for the day, and that Jacob was recovering. I ran home, my mind feeling far more refreshed than when I left.

I was not twenty meters down the driveway, the white house standing before me, when I smelt the scent of wolf. I had been around Jacob enough to know it wasn't his smell. Another wolf must be on my family's property. Judging by the location of the sun, it was barely 8am, yet I had a feeling Sam was here. Early. I ran as fast as I could towards the house listening intently for the thoughts of my family, Jacob or Sam, wishing to hear a hint of what was to greet me when I walked through the doors. The first voice I heard was Alice's; she said my name. I listened for her voice through the mumblings of my family, trying to pick her out- she was whispering to someone.

"Wait for him; he's almost here."

"I hope you're right."

"It'll be okay, Jaz," I heard Alice soothe her partner.

So she was talking to Jasper. Was he having problems with Jacob? With Sam? Why wait for me? What could I do that Jasper couldn't (except hear thoughts of course)? Was that it? He wanted to know what Jacob was thinking before he acted?

I barged through the door, almost running into Jasper; he was standing just inside the entry.

"Jasper, what's wrong?" I asked, panicking the moment I saw his strained face, his scars whiter than I had ever seen them.

"Listen," he hissed at me, stress rendering him as still as a statue. The rest of my family felt the intensity coming from us, so they too became quiet and listened.

As I listened, I stared briefly around the room to see who remained. Rosalie was thankfully absent and naturally, so was Emmett. I had to wait two seconds before I saw, rather than heard, any hint of what was concerning Jasper.

Jacob was having a very vivid nightmare.

I saw tints of darkness and terror flood Jacob's every thought as he dreamed. It was hard to distinguish his screams of fear from within his dream compared to those that could be heard by everyone else.

"If you do not wake him, I will," Jasper said through his teeth, the intensity of Jacob's emotions keeping him stressed and tense.

But instead of answering him directly, I turned to Alice, who had flitted to Jasper's side and was rubbing her partner's arms with her hands.

"Why did you want to wait for me to return before allowing Jasper to act?" I asked her, confused, for I had no problem with Jasper interceding.

"Sam arrived ten minutes ago. He misjudged how long it would take him to get here," Alice clarified, answering my unasked question as to why Sam was so early. "We explained to him that Jacob was having a nightmare. He didn't believe it was 'just' a nightmare, so Jasper and Carlisle took him to see Jacob for himself. Sam tried to wake Jacob up, but he couldn't; his dream had completely taken over his conscious mind. We couldn't be certain what he was dreaming about, only that he was terrified and upset," Alice explained, looking sympathetically at Jasper who had resumed focus on Jacob's pain, his face stock still as Jacob's emotions overwhelmed him.

I rested my hand on Jasper's shoulder in comfort.

"I tried to calm him, but my efforts were fruitless. Even in sleep he is highly resistant to my gift," Jasper informed me seriously, concern evident in his eyes.

I concentrated harder, trying to separate Jacob's dream from the thoughts of my family and Sam.

"The terror he is experiencing is too strong- even if you calmed him, the images are still there, they would reignite his fear as quickly as you tried to remove it," I analysed. "How is Sam managing being here?" I asked Jasper.

"Fine. Since seeing Jacob, he has thought of nothing else." And I could see by the look on Jasper's face that that was the same for him too.

I wasn't sure what to do. I knew waking people up from their dreams can be dangerous, so was it really my place to wake Jacob just because he was causing my brother discomfort? Finally, I made my decision.

"Thank you for waiting for me," I said, looking most particularly at Alice. "I will wake him, provided that Sam does not object." I didn't know how the leader of the pack would react to my idea until I saw him face-to-face and asked for his permission. I moved up the stairs as fast as I could, my entire family following behind me.

I paused at the door and could hear Sam muttering under his breath, upset that Jacob was suffering and it would seem, blaming us for the nightmare he was having. This was not the attitude I was hoping for, but after only a second's pause, I opened the door.

Sam stood up immediately from where he was sitting; Carlisle must've provided him with a chair. Upon seeing my face, Sam began to shake violently but his feet remained stationary next to Jacob's bed. I held up my hands as a sign of peace, the last thing we needed was for Sam to phase. I could see in his thoughts that it was not fear for his own life that agitated him.

"Sam," I said cautiously, moving in slow small steps towards the very tall man before me. "I don't mean Jacob any harm. My brother, Jasper is concerned for Jacob, so I- we," I said, gesturing towards my family, but never taking my eyes off Sam's, "are here to see if we can help." By this time, I was only a meter from Sam, who was still shaking, but not as much as he was when I first entered the room. I could hear his ragged breathing as he tried to calm himself down. He was not happy that every vampire in the house was in the same room as him.

"My family will not hurt you or Jacob," I told him calmly.

He looked at me shocked; even though Billy told him that I could hear people's thoughts, he hadn't believed it until now.

Now that I was closer to Jacob, I could more easily distinguish his thoughts from Sam's and my family's.

I was trying to concentrate. My family was helping, as they usually did when they knew I was trying to hear one person's thoughts, by doing their best to keep their minds blank, but Sam, who was still trying to accept the fact that I could hear people's thoughts, had a constant stream of questions in his mind that I couldn't block out.

"Sam," I said gently, pulling my face away from Jacob's to stare at his brother's. "Is there something you wanted to ask me?" I prompted, not sure which of the several queries I heard was most pressing to him.

The Quileutte stared at me in disbelief and confusion; he didn't think I needed to ask- he thought his questions would have already been answered. I decided to explain myself.

"I am trying to hear what Jacob is dreaming about, but dreams are quieter than thoughts, and more disorganised, so they are harder to hear. I could hear your thoughts, but I was trying to ignore them, so I could hear Jacob's. Is there something you wanted to ask?"

Sam's eyes were popping at my words, but the situation was too serious to find amusement in this. Eventually he shook his head, not because he didn't have anything to ask me, but because he knew it was more important I hear Jacob's thoughts than his own at that moment.

"I know it is difficult, but if you could try to keep your mind blank so I can hear, that would be much appreciated," I asked sincerely.

Sam looked like he was about to argue, but then shut his mouth and nodded, averting his eyes back to Jacob, who had begun to groan.

It took much of my focus to hear Jacob's thoughts- while it was clear that he was dreaming, what it was about, I could only guess. Not that it helped, but I found myself leaning over Jacob as if my ear being closer to his brain would help me hear him.

Jacob shouted "no!" in his sleep, and suddenly I saw a very vivid image in his mind: Jacob leaning over what looked like a grey wolf, red blood dripping from his white teeth, a vibrant glow in his red eyes.

I stiffened as the image stayed with me.

"Edward," Jasper said, walking towards me having sensed my distress which was no doubt in line with Jacob's- he must've deduced I had finally gained insight into Jacob's nightmare. "What is it?"

But I couldn't answer him. From that moment on, every aspect of Jacob's gruesome nightmare was flashing in my mind as if that original image became a reality for Jacob and thus, I was seeing his dream as if they were his thoughts.

I knew that trying to block him out was fruitless, but I moved away from the bed, my hands on either side of my head, trying to stop the oozing blood and warped images of a vampiric Jacob from polluting my ability to think and see straight.

"What do you see, Edward?" Esme questioned me, her voice calm and soothing, her small hand resting on my shoulder.

I couldn't answer her as my focus turned to Sam, who had deduced correctly, having seen my reaction, that Jacob's dream was a traumatising one. I couldn't bring myself to utter what I had seen because although I knew it was not true- that Jacob's dream was not reality- it could have been and I felt that that realisation would consume Jacob when he woke up. I closed my eyes against Sam's stricken face, only to be confronted with Jacob relishing the wolf's blood which was followed by his scream.

"Edward, speak to me," Jasper demanded through his teeth, standing in front of me so I could no longer see Sam or Jacob.

"His dream became so vivid all of a sudden," I choked in barely more than a whisper. "We must wake him, but I fear the consequences…" I trailed off.

"Alice, can you see?" Jasper asked doubtfully of his partner.

"You know I can't Jaz," she replied, highly distressed.

"Try Alice- look past Jacob, do you see anything happening to us or to him?" I insisted, hoping that she could- I didn't want to cause Jacob any further distress by waking him.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice close her eyes, but a second later she replied: "All I can see is black, Edward!" she shrieked, feeling as hopeless as I felt.

"What are you trying to see?" Sam asked in his deep voice, panic and confusion colouring his tone.

"I am trying to see what will happen if Edward chooses to wake up Jacob, but I cannot see wolves," she added in frustration.

_She can see the future, _Sam said to himself as if finally understanding, and yet, I could tell this fact scared him as much, if not more, than my ability to hear thoughts.

But I didn't have time to reinforce his realisation or try to calm him down when Jacob was a far more pressing matter. Still uncertain what to do, I turned to Jasper for his guidance.

"He will wake either way, Edward- best to do it now when we are all here," Jasper asserted.

"What is he dreaming about?" Sam demanded, anxious to hear the answer because of the way I appeared to him: tense and sickened.

I exhaled sharply as Jacob writhed, shaking the bed he lay on, when his dream self realised he had killed a fellow brother.

I had to turn away from Sam's face for a moment; god why did this have to be so difficult? If I wasn't here, Carlisle or even Sam would have woken Jacob already; I was holding everyone up because of my gift. I felt Jasper's hand rest at the centre of my back and soon I felt some relief; while the images were still there, he was able to calm me and, unlike Jacob, I was able to see reason and remember that it was 'just a dream'.

"Thank you," I said to Jasper, relief in my tone as I turned back to Sam.

"Jacob is having a highly vivid dream, one where he is a vampire- he just had his first… feed-" I looked at Sam and couldn't say anything further. Even I found Jacob's dream highly disturbing, so I could only imagine how Sam would feel; he was already disgusted as it was, and it alarmed me a little that he began to shake again, even though he was fully aware that Jacob was only a vampire in his dreams.

"What do we do?" he asked urgently, his heart pounding heavily against his chest, suddenly frustrated that I had not made a move to stop something so horrific from continuing.

"It can be dangerous to wake people up when they are dreaming so deeply," Carlisle contributed.

"I believe that that would be less damaging than letting this dream continue!" Sam argued.

"If you wish to wake him, Sam, we will not stop you," I told him, though given the nature of the dream, I wasn't sure which would be worse: Jacob seeing my face when he woke, or Sam's.

"Jesus," I hissed under my breath as I cringed away from Jacob's final haunt- his teeth bared, approaching a very human Bella.

The question of who would wake Jacob was no longer relevant as Jacob's panicked, terrified screams filled the house. Heart racing, disgust and fear coating his every thought, Jacob fought with the cotton sheet as he tried to get out of bed in an attempt to run away from what he felt he had become. Jacob's eyes were closed; his mind was still in a dream state, but his body was awake. I saw tears begin to cascade down Jacob's cheeks as he continued to fight with the sheets. We all stood there, unable to move and barely breathing as we watched him struggle.

Sam's thoughts were disarrayed; he wanted to speak to Jacob, but was terrified because evidently, Jacob was still under the delusion that he was a vampire. Jasper was trying to calm Jacob down but his efforts were having minimal effect. Carlisle was watching the drip in Jacob's arm, trying to determine when it would be safe enough to remove it, knowing that he would need to shortly, lest Jacob accidently rip it from his skin.

Suddenly Jacob reached out in front of him, no longer wrestling with the sheets. I felt a gasp escape my lips as I saw what he could: Bella… dead.

To make it all too real, even for me, Jacob cried out: "No, Bella, no!" he sobbed.

My family and Sam all turned to look at me, all of them feeling sympathy for Jacob and for me. Whatever it was that I saw in Jacob's mind, they knew it would have been hard to witness, knowing that it had something to do with Bella, the girl Jacob and I both love.

Jacob tried to escape the sheet-made jail he had created for himself, his breathing quickening after each failed attempt. Sam stood over his brother trying to help him get free, but Jacob was moving so much that he tangled himself even further, rather than finding a way out.

"No," Jacob panted, his breaths becoming quick and sharp as he sat up, his body struggling to breathe. "No… no- no…" he groaned through his ragged sobs.

Sam left Jacob's side to approach me- he could see that Jacob's pain was hurting me too, and as much as he hated to say it, Jacob needed my help.

"Help him," Sam begged of me. "Please."

Whatever was holding me back suddenly disappeared; it was as if I needed permission to do what I thought I must. Now that I had it, I could not refuse.

Author's note: So what did you think of the chapter and of Jacob's dream? The next chapter will continue straight after this moment, and we'll find out more about Jake's nightmare. Just a reminder, I will be updating on Tuesdays and Saturdays from now on, so until Tuesday, have a wonderful weekend! Please remember to leave me a review before you go Thank you!


	8. Chapter 7 Monster

Author's note: A big thank you to everyone who reviewed! And welcome to new readers and thank you for adding 'Trust me' to your favourites/alerts. I really appreciate it and hope you continue enjoying the story! This is one of my favourite chapters (for the record) so I REALLY hope you all enjoy it!

Reply to reviews:

Eruhin: I'm happy that I can keep you guessing Yeah, the both of them were both quite affected by that dream and it's still going. I'm so glad you're about to find out what happens next! Happy reading!

Story Thief: I'm sorry to keep you waiting! Though I have to admit, I do like keeping people 'on the edge of their seat'- I'm glad I was able to create some suspense! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Sweetie7smiled: Thank you I spent a while writing this chapter, I must say. Thank you for saying that Edward was the best choice to help Jacob calm down. I didn't even think of the fact that Edward being calm would be proof in itself that Bella was alive and well (and therefore, telling Jacob that his dream wasn't real). Awesome pick up! Thanks heaps for reviewing!

Colouredsoul: Thank you I am glad you liked the Edward/Bella interaction, I was a little worried it wouldn't live up to people's standards! So thank you! You'll definitely find out more about Jacob's dream in this chapter. Speaking of which, here we go!

Trust me

Chapter 7- Monster

Jacob's POV

_No, no, no… this can't be happening. Bella… Quil… I've become a monster._

I ran away from Bella's blood which was dripping on the stone cold floor, and yet I was still hungry for more. No- I've killed too many people I love- people I thought I would never hurt. I knew what I must be, but I couldn't see my eyes- my eyes were all that mattered. I tried to ignore the fact that my heart wasn't thudding as I ran; it was stone now. But my eyes could not be red- they couldn't be. I felt trapped within my own body- I tried to break free, but no matter what I did, I kept getting tangled up in what I knew to be reality: I was a vampire.

I was searching for a mirror in a place that was empty and void of any object. And then something shiny caught my eye at the end of what I thought was an endless corridor. I slowed my pace as I approached- I could see my black silhouette. I felt my body lean in as I looked into the shining glass, bracing myself for whatever I was about to see. It was definitely my face, and then suddenly everything went black and all I could see were two blood-red irises.

"No!" I gasped, my arm outstretched as if wanting to rip out my own eyes for what they represented. But my hand didn't touch the glass I was expecting- the blackness that surrounded me was replaced with scenery my brain registered being familiar- but my attention was focused on what my hand was squeezing- not my horrific face with blood-red eyes and a bloody mouth, but Edward's arm.

I began to shake- violently. My breaths were coming out in grunts as I tried to breathe when the person I hated most in the world was sitting right in front of me. I felt something cold on my back, but I ignored it, and a pressure on my left arm which begun so quickly, I hardly had time to resist. In the end, my gaze never left the creature before me.

"What did you do to me?" I demanded, my fingers still tightly wrapped around Edward's wrist, squeezing him tighter and tighter as I ripped the sheets off my body.

It annoyed me that he remained calm in the face of my anger; his now honey coloured eyes were focused entirely on me.

"I haven't done anything to you, Jacob."

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" I screamed, as I felt my body shake with rage, which moved the entire bed.

"Calm down," Edward said gently. I felt his other hand, the one I was not trying to crush to pieces, rest on my shoulder. "You were having a nightmare, but you're awake now," he explained.

"No- I killed people. I still feel the thirst for blood," I cringed as I said it, my hand moving to my throat, my eyes prickling with fear and guilt. "Your plan didn't WORK!" I screamed at Edward.

"You are not a vampire, Jacob," Edward said seriously, raising his voice as if he were trying to control me, but I was not having that; he told me everything would be okay... he _lied_. "The venom must be affecting your mind-"

"No, it's turned me into a monster!" I shouted, pulling Edward by the wrist so his head was centimeters from mine. "And it's all your fault! Was this a part of your plan? So no matter which of us Bella chooses, she is doomed to become what we are?" I demanded, staring aggressively into his eyes for an answer- it took everything in my power not to rip him limb from limb until I knew his intentions.

Edward's face was momentarily etched with pain.

_Ha! I was right; he used all of this as a cover-up to doom Bella for good; he knew that I would win otherwise… she wouldn't have to change for me, but now… he has ensured his victory by turning me-_

"No," Edward hissed, his free hand gripping my upper arm so tightly, I thought my bones would break. "Never." I heard movement around me, vampires moving around us, but I didn't pay attention, I was one of them now.

"You'd never hurt Bella, but you'd hurt me. Sure, you thought you'd help me by sucking the venom out when your real intention was to bite my skin, because being bitten by one of you just wasn't enough!"

"Listen to me Jacob Black," Edward growled as he pulled his wrist free of my grasp and grabbed hold of my arm. "I would never do that to you- or to Bella. Your dream was highly vivid- _this_ must be how venom affects wolves. If you were really a vampire you would have smelt human blood and be drinking right now- but you aren't thirsty, just highly angry and upset," he said firmly, shaking my body a little with every word he spoke.

"There's a human here?" I demanded, and then turned my head to the right to see Sam staring at me; his eyes were wide even though it was clear he was trying not to show he feared me.

I felt my lips curl and I bared my teeth as I turned back to Edward and hissed at him: "Thought you would take out the pack's leader? Couldn't break the Treaty yourself, but hey," I spat, glancing at Jasper standing alert and ready to Edward's left. "It wouldn't be a breach if _I_ killed him."

"You spoke to your father last night- Sam was with him and you agreed that Sam would visit you this morning to see how you are recovering-"

"Well I'm not," I asserted, turning away from Edward's face to stare at the man who used to be my brother. "Tell my father that I cannot return home; I may kill him like I did Quil and- and Bella," I shuddered, the rippling shakes in my body immediately dying… all I could feel now was sorrow.

"Jacob, I will tell your father no such thing- Edward is right; you had a nightmare, but it's over now," Sam said in his deep soulful voice.

"No, Sam. I'm dangerous, you have to leave- if Edward wasn't holding onto me, I would have killed you by now- I killed Quil-"

"No you didn't, Jake- he's safe at home-"

"Can't you see what I am? My eyes are bright red, I have no heart beat!" I told him, trying to convince him of what I knew to be true.

_Why isn't he leaving?_

"Because he cannot see what you see, none of us can," Edward answered my thought, loosening his grip a little on my shoulders.

"No!" I insisted, grabbing Edward's hands and pressing them into my skin. "Don't let me hurt him," I begged. "I don't know what I'd do if I killed another person," I whispered, covering my face with my hands as I tried to erase the images out of my mind. I hadn't had my eyes closed for a second, before my body shook with remorse- fear- tears of pain.

"Jasper," Edward said urgently, his arms still firmly on mine, but he was rubbing rather than squeezing them now.

"It isn't working, Edward. He is deeply entrenched."

"What are you trying to do?" Sam asked, and I could feel the heat radiating from him.

"I told you to leave, Sam," I reminded him, wanting nothing more than for him to get out of here- once I had my strength back- when I was thirsty again, he would be my first target.

I felt my chest tighten as I thought of killing another brother- that pain would be unbearable- I would kill myself, go to Italy like Edward did- or better yet, perhaps the vampires surrounding me would do the honour. At least my family and friends would be safe- Edward would have Bella all to himself…

"No," Edward insisted, grabbing me tightly, his eyes narrowed as he stared into mine, evidently trying to find a sign in my face that suggested I was joking, but I wasn't- after all, I was just trying to save my family from what I am. "Remember, you told me Bella is dead- you killed her."

I stared at him, dumbstruck- how could I forget? Well this provided me with further reason to wish for death- so I can be with her.

"No," Edward gasped, exasperated; evidently this was not the response he was hoping for. He risked removing one hand from my arm to rub his forehead with his fingers.

"Edward," I heard Carlisle say in the background. "Let me-"

"No, I've got this," Edward insisted, never taking his eyes off me. "None of us are going to kill you- you haven't hurt anyone- you haven't killed anyone, so you must continue to exist for you have done nothing worthy of punishment."

I looked down at my hands and saw them trembling.

"But I did," I insisted. "I saw them die- it was me."

"It was a _dream, _Jacob. A very vivid, very terrifying dream," Edward explained, trying to soothe me, but it didn't work.

"No, it was real- I killed innocent people and it's your fault!" I cried, tears pouring down my face, but I didn't wipe them away- I knew I was just imagining them- I was a vampire now.

For the first time in my life, I saw Edward frown; he looked sad and I hated him all the more for it. But before I could force my arms out of his grip to hit him, he sensed my rage and immediately moved his hands down to my wrists and placed my right hand to the top of his chest, just under his neck.

"Feel my skin," he insisted, his voice quick, but strong and clear. "It's like ice against your hand," he answered for me.

Then, he slid my hand lower so that my palm was resting where his heart should be.

"You cannot feel my heart beat because I am dead- I am one of the monsters you speak of," he stated and I could feel his gaze watching my eyes as he continued. He took my other wrist and forced me to touch my own face. I gasped when I felt tears beneath my fingers.

"You can cry," he continued, his own voice choking up a bit as he went on, "your face is wet with tears, signifying the guilt and fear you feel for a reality that isn't true- one that the venom created for you."

I was watching Edward now, watching his face as he slowly moved my hand down to my own chest. Underneath my skin, I could feel my heart pounding.

"Your heart is beating because you are still human, and always will be. You will never be a monster like me," he finished, dragging his eyes up to meet mine. When he saw the way I was looking at him, I felt him stiffen, his mouth tightening as he waited for my reaction.

All I could hear was Sam breathing next to me- no one else moved.

The moment I realized the truth of his words, I felt my body relax and my mind clear, and although I remembered every aspect of the dream I had, I now realised that that was all it was- a dream.

I saw Edward's face soften; evidently this was the reaction he was hoping for. And then, as if embarrassed by what he had done, he loosened his hold on my wrist and stared at his hand, deep in thought. I didn't know what to say; the scene I had created, the things I had said seemed completely crazy to me now. I could only hope that I really could blame the vampire venom for my words, because if I couldn't, then I really had to question my sanity.

I barely moved until I felt Edward's cold hand rub my arm gently; I knew he was trying to tell me, however silently, that everything would be okay. I looked at Edward's face and saw that his eyes were now focused on my arm… he was thinking about something painful.

I wasn't sure what he was thinking about, but the silence between us and everyone else in the room was becoming really uncomfortable. Given how many thoughts I had had since the end of my ordeal, I was surprised he hadn't replied to any of them. I was waiting for him to say something; I did not want to disturb him, but he never uttered a sound. To distract myself, I went over the words Edward had said- the ones that helped me remember who I was: _You will never be a monster like me. _

After recalling these words, I watched Edward's eyes narrow in concern before he turned his head away from me slightly. He was now looking out the window, still lost in thought, but his hand never left my arm. All I could think about was how glad I was to be rid of that nightmare and the beliefs that came with it. I kept thinking about the way Edward helped me see that I was still human and always will be, because I knew I was making things unintentionally difficult for him, and yet, he was still gentle and patient. After everything he'd helped me through, especially this hellish nightmare, I knew the word 'monster' no longer applied to him and probably most of his family; monsters don't help their enemies...

I didn't want to say what I was thinking out loud, so I spoke to Edward through my thoughts, hoping he would hear me.

_Edward._

He turned towards me, immediately locking his eyes with mine, as if forcing himself to focus on my thoughts instead of being consumed with his own. It took a few seconds before I could continue my thought; all I could see was Edward's concern for me reflected in his eyes.

_You're not a monster._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edward's POV

_You're not a monster…_

My hand, which was rubbing Jacob's arm stopped abruptly; I could barely move due to experiencing immense shock at hearing these words.

I felt my family becoming restless around me, which made Sam on edge, because they could see that my body was tense with anxiety. But I was not anxious, but surprised and relieved. I searched Jacob's face for some sign that he'd gone mad or his thought was some cruel joke to make me think he had forgiven me. But he stared right back at me, perfectly aware of what he said, though perhaps a little confused by my reaction.

I couldn't even utter words to let him know what I was feeling- it was quite simply indescribable.

It would have been inevitable that Alice or Sam would have interrupted my intensity to find out what was happening, but Jasper, who everyone now turned to for answers, could sense that I was okay- that I was having a moment they did not need to interrupt. The room was silent- Jacob was debating in his mind whether to say something more; my silence was becoming disconcerting for him.

I decided to spare him the discomfort. Feeling came back into my limbs- I could feel Jacob's hot skin burning under my hand which never left his arm. I looked down to see how comfortable he was with me here now and while I still felt like a monster, the person I was comforting no longer saw it that way. My lips were torn between a smile and sighing with relief; they kept morphing with my feelings. In the end, I watched my hands rest on Jacob's shoulders. Slowly I pulled myself towards him and carefully rested my forehead against his as I slowly exhaled.

Jacob didn't move, his arms stayed rigid by his side, but he understood my feelings and didn't ask me to move away from him.

_I'm sorry for what I said._

"You remember?" I asked him in a whisper, my family all listening intently, trying to work out Jacob's side of the conversation.

My eyes closed as I began to relax- hearing him talk so calmly was such a relief to my mind.

_Yeah. I don't know what happened to me._

"It wasn't your fault."

_Thanks._

Taking a deep, though unnecessary breath I squeezed Jacob's shoulders, then gently placed my hand on the back of his neck, as I pressed his head to mine in what he understood to be an action of comfort and thanks. Without engaging eye contact with Jacob, I turned my head away to look at the door, catching a glimpse of Sam's confused expression. I leapt off the makeshift hospital bed and walked out of the room, Carlisle and Esme following after me, the former leaving Jasper and Alice to monitor Jacob, offer him a shower and talk to Sam about what happened. I knew everyone around me was concerned about my behaviour and while Jasper knew I was okay- that whatever Jacob said did not hurt or anger me, they were still at a loss as to what was said. I wasn't sure if Jacob would tell them, but for the moment, I was trying to clear my head to discuss a far more pressing matter; what was the venom doing to the boy?

The moment I was outside Carlisle's office, I leant against the wall and closed my eyes, trying my best to block out the thoughts and sounds that filled my head. Esme and Carlisle were hovering by the door, not wanting to disturb me- though they knew very well that their thoughts were equal to speech in my mind.

_You did well, Edward, _Carlisle's gentle voice echoed the loudest in my head.

I nodded.

I felt Esme next to me as she pressed her lips to my upper arm, hugging me close to her.

"I'm okay," I told her. "I just need a minute," I explained, rubbing my temples with my hands, trying to eliminate a dull pressure in my head that I've never felt before.

Carlisle and Esme stood still waiting for me to recover from the last half hour; although such a short period in my existence, it was definitely one of the hardest. In the mean time, I heard Jasper suggesting to Jacob that he take a shower because he was sweaty and hadn't had one since his arrival. Sam seemed to think this was a good idea, though was surprised that we even had a shower, let alone one in the doctor's study. From what I could gather, Jacob was not willing to tell any of them the words he had said to me in his mind. After witnessing that horrific nightmare and the drama that followed, they were nothing short of a gift to me, and I hoped Jacob knew that.

After one minute of silence, I opened my eyes to see Carlisle and Esme's concerned ones looking back at me. But I did not want to discuss my mental health just yet, Jacob's reaction to the venom was a far more pressing matter; I was almost certain I could not endure another episode like that again without wanting to scream myself hoarse.

"What do you think of Jacob's dream- his behaviour?" I asked Carlisle, wondering if Carlisle felt similarly to myself in this matter.

"I am tending to agree with your own analysis," Carlisle said hesitantly, remembering the brief words I had said to Jacob while I was trying to bring him to his senses. "Though I do wonder," Carlisle continued looking a little sheepish- apologetic, "how much of Jacob's behaviour stemmed from his own beliefs as opposed to the venom? Perhaps the venom simply magnified his feelings and the believability of his dreams- rather than _caused_ the dream to begin with."

Of course, my immediate reaction to Jacob's words of hate firing at me was that he was finally speaking his mind in the cruelest possible way, so it was not much of a stretch to believe Carlisle's words.

I shook my head in confusion. "It is too difficult to separate one effect from the other. We could always ask him, but I think even he would find that difficult to determine."

I heard the shower turn on, water splashing on the floor. Jacob was in the bathroom now, and Sam, Jasper and Alice were silent, trying to eavesdrop on my conversation.

"If it was the venom," I continued, a sudden thought entering my head, "let us consider _why _venom has this effect on werewolves. If Jacob was surrounded by human blood-drinking vampires who had, by some miracle, not killed him already, how would they react to his dream? If he woke up asserting and truly believing he was a vampire, he would have been as close to being one as a wolf could get."  
>"It isn't possible for werewolves to become vampires?" Esme asked, her question aimed at no one in particular.<p>

Carlisle was thoughtful, his pointer finger and thumb stroking his chin in concentration as various ideas sped through his mind; it was difficult for me to keep track of them.

"Genetically, I think it is improbable; if werewolves could turn into vampires… they surely could not be ice cold and warm at the same time- able to shape-shift _and_ remain frozen in physical development. No, I feel venom could never impact a werewolf the way it affects a human, but it is definitely having an impact," Carlisle thought out loud.

"The nightmare he experienced certainly was not normal- too vivid, too entrenched, I know humans can sometimes wake up believing what they dreamed, but this was different- he was almost delusional. Not even Jasper was able to influence him-"

"Not that I had much success before he fell asleep," Jasper pointed out a little bitterly from inside Carlisle's office, annoyed that his gift was relatively useless against relieving himself and Jacob from the latter's emotions.

I decided not to answer Jasper, knowing Sam was about to ask a question.

"What can you do?" he questioned Jasper, uncertain if he wanted to hear the answer.

Alice put her arm around Jasper's waist and squeezed him gently as a form of comfort.

"My gift is two-fold," Jasper begun, averting his eyes from Sam to stare at Alice; both of them wanted some alone time, just to be together; it had been a hard day for Jasper too. I made a mental note to tell him to take a break once Jacob had finished his shower. As Jasper continued his explanation, Esme, Carlisle and myself re-entered the room.

"I am able to sense the feelings of others, whether they be human, vampire or animal," he clarified. "But I also have the ability to alter someone's mood. However, I have been relatively unsuccessful at doing this with Jacob unless he has been tired or semi-conscious. I feel he is highly resistant to my gift- or at least, he was when he arrived."

"It's not a wolf thing?" Sam asked, though he thought it unlikely. Much to my surprise, Sam saw Jasper's gift as a gift, and felt he could be useful to Jacob if we could only find out why it wasn't working.

Jasper shook his head. "I don't believe so, but I suppose it is possible," he answered, turning away from Alice to stare intently at Sam. "Would you allow me to try?"

Sam started; even though he expected the request, the way Jasper was looking at him: keen and interested, freaked him out. Sam turned to me, uncertain whether to trust my brother. I nodded to indicate it was okay- evidently he trusted me the most out of my family and given today's events, I understood why.

The prospect of what he was about to agree to, made Sam shake a little, but he was under control. Of course, Jasper and Alice crouched a little, in preparation, but Sam didn't even notice.

"You have nothing to fear," Jasper reassured Sam, walking a little closer, however slowly.

"How do you feel?" Jasper asked quietly, watching Sam's black eyes intently. I knew that Jasper's manipulation had worked- he didn't even need to touch Sam, yet his mind was calm and his body was no longer shaking.

"Calm," Sam said simply. "So, it is not a wolf thing," he confirmed.

"Nope, just a Jacob thing," Alice said cheerfully, making it clear that she was making fun, though her words were true. At that, the water had stopped and Jacob was presumably drying himself off.

"So what do we do?" Sam asked, turning to Carlisle for answers. "Do we just wait and see what happens? See whether he has anymore nightmares?"

"Unfortunately, that is all we can do for now- the effects of the venom seem to be more psychological than physical… Edward," Carlisle suddenly asked, turning to me. Even though I already knew what was on his mind, I allowed him to ask for the sake of the others. "How is Jacob's head? Is it still hurting him?"

"No," Jacob answered from the bathroom. I heard the zipper of Emmett's denim shorts move- he would be finished shortly.

"That is good to hear," Carlisle said a little louder, speaking to Jacob now.

"I was thinking about making Jacob some breakfast," Esme said, turning to Sam. "Would you like anything, Sam?"

Sam felt confused, wondering how or why a vampire would need to cook, let alone learn to cook when they didn't need to.

"We need to keep up appearances," I answered Sam's thought. "But Esme is a wonderful cook," I said, smiling at my mother.

"I'm sure, but no thanks, uh, Mrs Cullen," Sam answered, feeling a little uncomfortable.

_Edward…_

My head snapped towards the bathroom door, waiting, watching Jacob's mind.

_I think I'm going to be…_

"Unlock the door," I said urgently, pointing to the bathroom, speaking to no one in particular, but hoped someone would heed my request. I was not surprised to see Jasper react immediately; of course, he could sense Jacob's emotions.

In the one second I had to react, I concentrated on Jacob's thoughts and learnt that the sensation he was feeling was not normal for him; had the boy never vomited before? I struggled to block out Carlisle, Sam and Esme's confused thoughts, but I forced myself to only listen to the quiet, panicked voice furthest away from me.

He planned to be sick on the floor. I ran out of Carlisle's office, down the stairs into the laundry where I picked up a blue plastic bucket and ran back up the stairs. It was the only place I could think of that had a vessel we would be willing to throw away. Thankfully its distance from the study did not prevent me from arriving in time.

When I returned, the bathroom door had just been opened. Jasper was with Jacob, but when he felt my urgency, he moved out of the way without me having to speak. I held the bucket under Jacob's chin with my right hand and placed my left on the middle of his back. Half a second later, I felt Jacob's body heave, and heard the vomit land noisily in the bucket I was holding. Bu the worst part of all of this was the smell- it was horrific. Sam seemed too disgusted by what he saw to be disturbed by the stench, but I was surprised that all of my family (aside from Carlisle who I am sure has smelt vomit more times in his life than he wished to count) remained in Carlisle's office, patiently, non-judgmentally listening to what was happening, their expressions of disgust no doubt mirrored my own, though we all tried to hide it for Jacob's sake.

After Jacob's third hurl, all of them occurring in ten second intervals, I felt him lean against me as if he were going to faint, his chest moving up and down in quick succession as he tried to catch his breath. Jasper immediately joined me, also placing his hand on Jacob's back, while Esme took the bucket from me and raced downstairs with it. I was wrong in assuming we would simply throw the bucket away; Esme planned to disinfect it, but exactly how she was going to do this, I wasn't sure. Nevertheless, I knew she would find a way. Alice, in the mean time, ventured to clean the floor (unfortunately, Jacob was not always able to aim for the bucket, though I did my best to help him) which I was immensely grateful to her.

The moment Jasper made physical contact with Jacob he tried to calm him; he was concerned what would happen if Jacob vomited when he was still hyperventilating. To help my brother, I spoke, the first one to do so since I ran downstairs to get the bucket:

"You're okay, Jacob. Take deep breaths," I encouraged him.

"I'm- sorry," Jacob choked out between gasps of air as he stared at the mess he made, and the wrinkled noses of my family.

"It's not your fault," I told him gently, my left hand rubbing large circles on his back. "Now," I said quietly, almost peacefully. "Breathe," I finished, my hand finding Jacob's chest which was moving rapidly.

I could see that he was trying, but he had noticed Jasper on his other side which made him feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. His panic and breathing increased as he cringed away from my brother.

The previous conversation with Sam seemed to give Jasper renewed hope that his gift could be effective with Jacob, if the boy would only give him the chance.

Jasper's hand was still on Jacob's back as he moved to his left and said calmly but with authority: "I want to help you. Let me in."

I rubbed firm circles on Jacob's chest it in an attempt to soothe him, as well as encourage him to listen to Jasper's request. Jacob closed his eyes, which helped him concentrate on the two hands on his back- hands that wanted to help him.

Within five seconds, Jacob was breathing more steadily. The relief in Jasper's thoughts was immense; he squeezed Jacob's shoulder in thanks… for his trust. Jacob wanted to say 'thank you' to Jasper- to all of us. When he opened his eyes, he realised that the floor was clean- Alice had it sparkling and smelling like lemon. Esme was back with a clean bucket which was now sitting next to Jacob's makeshift bed that Carlisle was fussing over. Through all of this Sam hovered, not sure how to help, but wanting desperately to do something. But looking at the vampires that surrounded him, Sam was shocked to find that he wasn't needed; not only did we have everything under control, but he realized we cared for Jacob as if he were a part of our family.

I caught Sam's eye as I helped Jacob to his bed, and saw him stare at me as if seeing me for the first time.

_Thank you, _he said to me, a little uncertain whether I would be able to hear him for he was still getting used to the concept of my gift.

I smiled and nodded in his direction to let him know I received his message- the respect in his tone was undeniable.

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Author's note: So what did you think of Jacob's dream and the way Edward (eventually) managed to bring Jake back to reality? This is one of my favourite chapters, so I would love to hear what you guys thought (even if you have some constructive criticism for me). Anyway, please leave me a review before you leave! I will update on Saturday. Til then, take care


	9. Chapter 8 Too much

Author's note: Welcome to all my new readers- thank you for favouriting/adding 'Trust me' to your lists! I really appreciate it and I am so happy you are enjoying the story so far! And of course, a million thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I love hearing from you! It brightens my day :D This is another one of my favourite chapters, so I am eager to hear what you guys think of it! So please, please remember to review! Happy reading!

Reply to reviews:

Sweetie7smiled: Thank you for your insightful review! As you say, Jake's nightmare is almost like a reality for the Cullens in that they all felt at some point in their lives that they were living a horrible dream. Jacob definitely realized this to some extent, but unfortunately I have no plan for any greater realization. However, I will try to add it in to a later chapter if I can! Thanks heaps for reviewing!

Alphapup0909: Yep! I have to admit my intention is to make Edward and Jake closer- I am so glad you like the journey so far! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Eruhin: Don't worry, so many of us are mush lovers (I'm definitely one) which is why I create these emotionally intense moments in my stories : ) The 'you're not a monster' and Edward's reaction to this is one of my favourite moments in my story, so I am glad it almost brought you to tears. And yes, Jacob is quite capable of giving poor Edward a headache (you will see a bit more of this in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it!).

1sweetmoment: Wow, I am honoured to have rendered you incapable of describing how you felt about the previous chapter. And I am even more honoured that it was the best chapter you have ever read of any story! That is such an amazing compliment! Thank you so much! I wonder how this chapter will stand in comparison? You'll have to let me know :) As I said to Eruhin, the 'you are not a monster' line is one of my favourites in my story and it made me very emotional when I wrote it because I knew how much it would mean to Edward to hear it after everything he had witnessed in Jake's dream. I am also glad you found the Cullen's calmness and Sam's revelation to be realistic! Thank you for your amazing compliments- it means a lot to me!

Is Mise: I have to admit that I loved devising a sure-fire way that Edward could bring Jake out of his nightmare- I saw this as being the only plausible way ie. by showing Jacob physical evidence my touching him and forcing him to feel his own heart beat and his tears. I am sooo happy you approve! Your review captured everything I loved about writing this chapter! Thank you so much for highlighting all the points you loved; they are my favourites too! I'm so happy to hear that 'Trust me' is becoming one of your favourite fics! That's amazing! Thank you!

xFang's Angelx: Thank you so much for your review! So glad you love it- I hope you enjoy this chapter!

'Trust me'

Chapter 8- Too much

Jacob's POV

My whole body was shaking- not from fear or anger or even the cold- I was just shaking and I couldn't explain why. Edward helped me to the bed, which Carlisle had re-made for me with clean sheets and fluffed pillows. It was nice of him, but I didn't really pay any attention to it as I flopped down feeling weak and queasy. Edward allowed Sam to help me get comfortable as he spoke to Carlisle in a low, quick voice. I was too distracted by my own body, trying to work out if I would be sick again to focus on what they were saying. Sam however was getting frustrated with their secrecy and wanted answers. It was clear that he was impressed with the way the Cullens had handled my being sick- not a single one complained about the mess, or even the smell. They went straight to work, cooperating without a single word having to be said between them. But now that was over- Sam wanted answers. But when five minutes passed, and Carlisle and Edward were still deep in discussion, and Jasper was still hanging around me with Alice in his shadow, Sam spoke his mind:

"I should call Billy," he said in his authoritative deep voice.

Of course, this forced the doc and Edward to stop talking to answer him.  
>"Not yet," Edward insisted, walking over to us now- finally ready to share what he and his father had been discussing.<p>

"Then would you care to explain to us what is happening? Jacob has never been sick like that in his life," Sam explained, speaking for me because I didn't trust myself to do so. Yet what he said was correct- even as a kid I never threw up my food- I could eat anything and everything and be able to stomach it easily.

Carlisle nodded. "I understand why this is puzzling for you," he paused, looking at me sympathetically. "I have nothing more than theories as to why you were sick- the only way to know for certain would be for me to get a blood test-"

Carlisle stopped speaking upon seeing the horrified look on my face as well as Sam's.

The idea of a vampire extracting blood from my arm was almost inviting him to drink some while they were at it. I saw Edward's eyes narrow at this thought of mine, but I didn't care- I wasn't comfortable with this idea and neither was Sam.

Carlisle walked closer to me, his face both calm and determined when he stopped to look at me.

"I know it makes you uncomfortable, Jacob, but I wouldn't ask if it wasn't necessary," Carlisle explained gently, his eyes resting on mine.

"Why is it necessary?" Sam questioned, his eyes shifting from Edward to Carlisle. "What are your theories?"

"Our first thought," Edward began, "was that Jacob was sick because his body was having difficulty coping with the events that happened last night and this morning. It would make sense, but Carlisle felt that vomiting three times in a row due to stress is excessive, especially for someone who has never been sick before."

"Then we discussed the possibility of it being a side effect to the morphine- it could have been a delayed reaction to the pain medication or the intense pain that you were in yesterday. However," Carlisle continued, for Sam was about to interrupt, "we realised that if you were reacting to the morphine or the pain, we would have known about it last night. Vomiting is, however, one way the body tries to get rid of foreign substances, even if it is in the blood and not in ones stomach. This then led us to the far more plausible, though more problematic explanation, which requires me to examine some of your blood before I can provide you with a definitive answer."

"What is it?" Sam asked impatiently, his hands balling into fists at his side.

Edward came to stand next to Carlisle, his eyes looked a little sad as he stared at me.

"It was roughly one hour after you were bitten that I found you," Edward began in a slower than normal tone to highlight the importance of what he was about to say. "When I," he paused momentarily due to the sensitive nature of the subject, "sucked the venom out of your system, it was too late to remove that which had already reached your heart-"

"But if it reached his heart," Sam interrupted, panicked. "Shouldn't he be a vampire?"

"I feel it is genetically and physically impossible," Carlisle tried to reassure my leader and me. "The firmest evidence for this is that vampires are almost literally set in stone- our bodies cannot change- we are frozen in time. I feel it is impossible for such a trait to be synonymous with being able to phase into another form, such as a wolf. I feel the genetic predisposition that allows you and your brothers to transform cannot be overrun by vampire venom. Yet, given the history between our races, there must be, I fear, some consequence for a werewolf having venom in their blood stream."

I gulped, still not able to speak. Sam put a hand on my shoulder and I found his warmth reassuring.

"But we don't know what that consequence is, yet," Edward clarified, perhaps answering one of Sam's thoughts.

"But you have theories," Sam asserted, again becoming frustrated.

"Yes," Edward answered quickly before Sam had the time to become more infuriated. "As I was saying, the venom that reached Jacob's heart may have been pumped around his body. It is likely the venom would have attempted to mix with your healthy, pure blood. Carlisle feels," he said, looking at his father briefly as if wanting to make sure his explanation was correct, "that the venom is attacking your blood, almost like a virus. But it is not succeeding- your body appears to be fighting it. Venom being present in your blood would explain the nightmare you had this morning, after all what better way to protect a vampire than to make werewolves believe they are one? But more importantly, your body is trying, unsuccessfully to remove the venom from your system by vomiting. Unfortunately, such methods will not work- the venom is in your blood, not your digestive system."

"So what do we do?" Sam asked through his teeth.

Carlisle reached across the bed and placed his pale white hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Jacob's kidneys and liver will, with time, be able to remove the venom, provided that he stays healthy and gets a good amount of rest. But I need to remind you that this is a theory- I could be wrong and if I am, we may be wasting valuable time waiting for Jacob's body to filter out the venom when in fact, the problem requires another remedy. If you allow me to test some of your blood," Carlisle continued, turning to look at me. "I will be able to see the ratio between venom and blood to determine how long it will roughly take your heart to remove it. Unfortunately, if you don't let me test some of your blood, I am blind," Carlisle said apologetically, knowing this was something I didn't want to hear.

He wasn't leaving me much of a choice.

But I had one more question.

_How do you know what venom looks like? _I asked Edward, knowing that he could hear my thoughts.

"We don't," Edward answered. "All Carlisle will be able to see is whether your white blood cells are more numbered than what is normal. If so, then whatever it is attacking will represent vampire venom. Such a discovery will prove our theory," Edward explained.

_What's normal for me may be different from humans._

By the look on Edward's face, I could see that he had thought of this. He looked in Sam's direction and immediately I knew what he was thinking. I may be able to trust Carlisle, but there was no way, I was certain of it, that Sam would allow it.

Sam noticed Edward's gaze. "What?"

"We need a control- unaffected blood to compare Jacob's to," Carlisle explained.

Sam's eyes widened, as he looked from Carlisle's medical equipment, to me, to Edward, to Carlisle, to me again.

I felt Sam begin to shake next to me; he felt threatened, though of course, the Cullens would not force him to assist me, he knew that morally, he had no choice.

I turned in my bed, so I could see Sam's face properly. He looked right at me, and I saw for the first time fear in the Alpha.

"It's okay, Sam," I whispered. "You don't need to do this," I said seriously- I trusted Carlisle enough that his theory was right- neither of us needed to have a blood test.

"Jacob," Edward said in a reasonably loud voice, evidently not agreeing with the trust I was placing in Carlisle.

_You don't trust your father? _I fired at him.

"I do," he said instantly, not an ounce of doubt in his voice. "But you are refusing for the wrong reasons."

_Give me a break. I've been through enough, _I thought bitterly at him, almost attacking him with my thoughts.

Edward didn't answer at first and I thought for a moment that I had won- but I should have known better.

And so he began.

"Carlisle has taken and tested human blood every day for the last 200 years, at least. You know he has never tasted human blood in his life, and never intends to," Edward implored.

"Edward," Carlisle said, interrupting his son, silencing him with a look and a squeeze of his shoulder. "We cannot push him."

Edward's lips became a thin line, his eyebrows narrowed in frustration, and I knew he wanted to prove his father wrong, but at the same time, he couldn't argue with Carlisle- not about this.

"If this is your choice," Carlisle said gently, not a single note of annoyance or impatience in his voice. "Then we must wait for the venom to leave your system; I hope it will not take too long," Carlisle impressed on me kindly as he patted my shoulder and left the room to find Esme, who I knew was making some food in the kitchen.

I saw Sam stare at Carlisle's retreating back with a small sign of regret on his face and I wondered what he was thinking. After a moment's silence, Edward spoke, not to me, but his siblings who had stayed loyally with him without making a sound.

"Of course you may go," Edward muttered; a hint of guilt in his voice and face as he watched Jasper and Alice leave us in a hurry. Edward was frowning and kept staring at the door for some time, before turning back to Sam and me.

"You should try to rest," Edward encouraged me, and I could tell he was struggling to keep the annoyance and disappointment out of his tone. I turned on my side so I was facing Sam, my back to Edward and closed my eyes. I could hear Sam's deep breaths near me. After a couple of minutes, I heard Sam whisper to Edward:

"I think I will leave now and tell Billy what has happened."

"Of course," Edward said politely.

"Do you feel it would be appropriate for Billy to visit Jacob tomorrow?" Sam asked, a little uncertainly, probably due to the unpredictability of my condition.

"I am sure that will be fine," Edward replied. "He is welcome at any time," he reinforced, sounding truly genuine.

"Thank you," Sam said, a finality in his tone. I envisaged him holding out his hand.

"You're welcome," Edward replied and I felt I could hear a smile in his voice.

"I will thank your father on my way out."

"If you cannot find him, he will find you," Edward said as if such a statement were not a strange thing to say.

Sam chuckled.

"See you tomorrow- and please call us if anything changes."

"Of course."

I felt Sam rub my shoulder gently. Of course, I was already awake, but I groaned a little to make it sound like he was stirring me from sleep.

"Sorry, Jake," Sam said apologetically. "I am going back to La Push to give your dad an update. I'll be back tomorrow."

"'Kay, thanks for coming," I mumbled.

"Anytime. Get better soon, we all miss you," Sam said, squeezing my shoulder. I opened my eyes a little to watch him leave. Then it was just me and Edward. Knowing that he was probably still mad at me, I closed my eyes again and tried to sleep; I was unbelievably tired. I felt Edward watching over me as I drifted off to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edward's POV

I was glad Jacob fell asleep for two reasons: one, because there was no denying he needed the rest and two, because I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I listened to Carlisle and Sam's thoughts downstairs.

It wasn't five minutes after Sam 'left' that Carlisle was at his office door. Of course, I knew what he needed, so I extracted a couple of vials, and the tubing he required. I delivered them to him without a word being uttered between us and then returned to Jacob's bedside, no human would have noticed me leave.

I was glad Jasper and Alice had time to themselves; both of them had been so patient with Jacob and very rarely did I hear resentful thoughts from either of them towards myself or the boy. It was a Saturday and I was wondering what Bella was doing. I felt terrible that once again I was unable to spend the day with her. Of course she understood why I wasn't with her, and I could sense that she would rather me be here helping Jacob- especially since she feels she is partially responsible for him being bitten in the first place. I knew she wouldn't resent me for being scarce, but I still missed her- the traumas from the last few months: the pain and the emptiness were still haunting me in the back of my mind.

My reverie was interrupted by the words I was waiting for from downstairs. I was looking through Sam's thoughts and could see him sitting down in our bathroom which was roughly four times larger than the average human bathroom. Esme had brought in a chair for him, which he was now sitting in, his left arm gripping the railing next to him. He was apprehensive, but he trusted Carlisle- a fact that made me smile. Holding out his right arm, I watched as Carlisle disinfected the area and taped the top of his arm to reduce the blood flow. It took much of Sam's concentration not to flex his bicep to force the restraint off of him. Esme was standing next to Sam. He didn't mind her presence and found her hand on his right shoulder to be a comfort. Sam was holding his breath because the vampire stench was much stronger in the more confined space of the bathroom. I wondered why our smell never bothered Sam before- he definitely had a higher threshold of resistance than Jacob did. Perhaps that came with age… or experience. Of course, it would have been better to do this procedure in Carlisle's office, but as Jacob was currently sleeping, the bathroom was the next ideal being one of the cleanest rooms given that it was never used.

"Are you ready?" Carlisle asked Sam, who could only nod in response.

Sam didn't wince as the needle pricked his skin, and unlike most people he watched every second of the procedure. When he saw the red blood oozing into the tube, he quickly flickered his eyes from Carlisle to Esme, making sure they weren't about to lose it. Of course, they didn't: Carlisle's eyes remained focused as he watched the blood flow, and Esme continued to rub Sam's shoulder in encouragement which increased in pressure when she saw the blood enter the vial.

"You did it," she whispered to him, excited- relieved that maybe Jacob would be willing to try if Sam was.

When two small vials had been filled, Carlisle gave Sam an enthusiastic smile and carefully removed the needle. He then held his first two fingers on Sam's arm whilst he found a cotton ball and tape. Carlisle knew that Sam would probably heal before he left our place, but he decided to follow protocol- an infection was the last thing we needed. When Carlisle had completed the procedure, Sam removed his hand from the railing, which was wet from his perspiration.

"Thank you," Carlisle said. "I hope that once Jacob wakes and we tell him what you have done, he will be more inclined to take the risk."

Sam nodded. "Thanks, I can tell you want to help him," Sam said, holding out his left hand for Carlisle to shake. "Your family work well together, I must say I am impressed."

Carlisle smiled graciously. "You are welcome, and yes, we do on both counts," Carlisle confirmed with certainty regarding his wish to help Jacob to the best of his ability. "But why didn't you tell him what you planned to do?" Carlisle asked, a question that I was also wanting an answer to.

"Jacob has been through a lot of recent- I did not want to take your side and leave him feeling betrayed. I was reluctant at first, but when you told us how important the blood test was, I wanted to help if I could."

"Of course. We will let you know when we get some results, assuming that Jacob provides us with his blood."

"If he doesn't," Sam said seriously as the three of them walked to the front door, "get him to call me."

"Will do," Carlisle said, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder as he walked out. "See you tomorrow, Sam."

Sam wondered how Carlisle knew when he planned on returning, and then remembering that vampires have heightened hearing, realised that Carlisle must have overheard the conversation he had with me upstairs.

"Yes, see you then." Sam then thanked my parents, and ran into the forest.

Jacob began to stir, which made me optimistic that we would soon be able to convince him to also take a blood test. However, it wasn't long before I realised that Jacob was still unwell. Groaning, Jacob rolled over, his hands immediately holding his stomach. I grabbed the bucket from the floor, and ran to Jacob's other side where he was now facing.

"Jacob," I roused him, wanting him to know where the bucket was and not to turn over to vomit.

Jacob moaned again, not opening his eyes. I knew the moment he woke up he would be sick again.

"Jacob," I said a little louder this time, placing my left hand on his back so I could prevent him from turning over if he tried. The touch of my hand, ice cold against his skin, woke him up. As I had expected, he saw the bucket and immediately vomited violently into it.

Jacob swore loudly, still clutching his stomach. I could hear his stomach churning as another flow of vomit splashed into the bucket. It was unbelievable the sheer volume Jacob was producing- I was certain that he would have nothing more to vomit given the last thing he ate was consumed 16 hours ago. After the second round, Jacob forced himself to sit up on the side of the bed. He stared panting at the almost filled bucket, but his thoughts were full of anger and fear.

_What is happening to me? _He demanded.

"You know our theory," I said gently.

_I can't cope with this, _Jacob told me, feeling useless and scared; his thoughts and his body were both shaking a little.

I rubbed his back and held him closer to me, though not too close as to make him cold. He didn't move away from me, but that may have been because he was overcome with another episode a second later.

"Esme," I said loud enough so I knew she would hear. I listened out for her thoughts as she replied: _Yes, Edward?_

"Please bring another bucket up to Carlisle's office," I said quickly, hoping she would sense the urgency in my voice.

A second later, Esme placed a red bucket next to my feet and took the now filled one out of the room. This happened so quickly that Jacob didn't even realize what happened until he saw the red bucket in my hands.

"Nooo," he moaned. _Not again!_ He was telling himself not to be sick.

"You need to let it out, Jacob," I said gently. "Your body is trying to fight."

_You said that it won't help remove the-_

Jacob grabbed onto my shoulder to support himself as he hurled again.

Once he was finished, he tried to breathe, but some vomit was caught in his throat, causing him to cough.

"Spit it into the bucket Jacob," I encouraged him urgently. Jacob began to gag, struggling to breathe.

"Spit, Jacob," I said more forcefully.

Eventually he spat and took a deep shuddering breath.

_Make it stop, _he pleaded.

"It's your body's way of defending itself-"

_Well it isn't working! _His thoughts yelled at me.

"Calm down-"

_Calm down? _He screamed. The sheer volume of this thought forced me to cringe. _Every time I'm sick I feel my stomach is about to be ripped out of me- I feel I am never going to be able to breathe again. And I don't even know how long this will last! Oh shit," _Jacob half sobbed as he vomited for the fifth time since he woke. The moment he could take a breath, Jacob began hyperventilating, and almost choked on his vomit when he hurled again two seconds later.

"Esme…" I said again, she knew what I needed her to do for me.

Sure enough, two seconds later she was handing me the original blue bucket we had this morning.

She looked at Jacob with concern; he was still hyperventilating, his eyes closed, willing himself- his body, not to throw up again.

"Find Jasper for me," I requested of her so quickly that Jacob wouldn't hear. She nodded her head before speeding out the door. She flew into the forest, telling Carlisle quickly where she was going on her way out.

"Jacob, breathe deeply," I encouraged him, concerned by how fast he was breathing; I knew his body needed oxygen- he needed to relax.

_Shut up._

"You are more likely to be sick if you breathe too quickly and become too anxious-"

_What would you know? You're dead! _He snapped at me.

Jacob was shaking now, and each quick breath he took caused his body to shake even more; the vomiting, both the loss of nutrients and the physical exertion it took, was weakening him.

Seeing his position, I tried to keep my voice gentle and calm when I replied: "I am just trying to help you-"

_Well stop! _He yelled at me, turning his head to look at me- his eyes were dark, unfocused, his shoulders slumped over his stomach; he was in tremendous pain. _I am sick of always needing your help! _He spat.

"That's why I'm here," I reassured him, ignoring his attitude.

_I don't need you, or your father, or anyone! _He told me. I wanted to tell him that I strongly disagreed, but I knew he was only speaking this way because he was angry, not because he felt he didn't need me and my family.

"Well if Sam or your father were here, they would both tell you to try to breathe more deeply- hyperventilating is agitating your system-"

_Stop telling me what to do!_

"You need to help your body cope with the invasion-"

_My body is stupid! It isn't going to work, I'll be throwing up my guts before this fucking stops!_

"Jacob, please calm-"

But I stopped speaking when Jacob's breathing increased in speed, he was gasping for air and I knew what this meant, even if I couldn't see into his mind.

"Let it come," I whispered, my mind cringing against the pain I could feel inside of him.

Jacob's dry retching caused him to grab his stomach, bending over in pain.

"Shit!" he grunted, letting out a cry of anguish which was drenched in helplessness.

My arm found its way to Jacob's chest, my hand resting where his heart was. I didn't need to feel his heart thundering against his chest, to know he was in panic mode, but I thought my touch may have an effect on him. I was correct, but not in the way I thought.

"Please, try to calm down-"

_Get your hand off me! _Jacob demanded, tears running down his face as he grabbed my fingers and tried his best to break them as he threw my hand from his chest.

Relief flooded through me when I heard Jasper's thoughts as he walked through the front door and then raced up to Carlisle's office.

Jasper only paused for a half a second to gather the emotional state of the room, Jacob's multitude of emotions from fear to anger, and my relief. He positioned himself on Jacob's other side. Upon smelling him, which happened before Jacob saw who was next to him, he knew who it was.

_Was I becoming too much for you? _Jacob asked me in a dangerous tone.

"No, Jacob. I felt Jasper could help you through this-"

_I don't need him, _he told me. _And I sure as hell don't need you._

Jasper was on edge as he realised once again that his gift was not having an effect on Jacob.

"I beg to differ," I told Jacob, not quite able to keep the annoyance out of my voice; he was being so stubborn.

_He is not letting me in, Edward, _Jasper told me.

"Jacob, please let Jasper help you-"

_I told you I don't need help. Why did you have to involve him, how many more people need to watch me suffer? _He hissed, his tears now dry on his face.

"Your suffering is what we want to relieve," I reminded him.

Jacob wiped his mouth with his arm, and then swiped away Jasper's hand which didn't even have the chance to sit on his shoulder. Jasper tried again, and I could see an unrelenting persistence in his mind- Jacob's suffering was affecting my brother as much as it was affecting me.

"Give up!" Jacob screamed at Jasper after my brother tried to assist for the fourth time. After this exclamation, Jacob retched again, producing some clear liquid into the bucket… I knew it came from the very pit of his stomach. Jacob closed his eyes and rested his head in his hands, his breathing was still hurried and shallow. He was making himself light-headed, not that he noticed. But Jasper did. My brother slowly placed his hand on Jacob's arm, who then used his left to push Jasper away from him. Although this hardly moved Jasper, I knew Jacob was using all of his strength to push Jasper away.

I watched as Jasper stared dangerously at Jacob, he was getting angry, frustrated- and it was never good for Jasper to feel powerless.

"Jacob, you are not the only one suffering here," I told him sternly, getting fed-up with his stubborn nature. "Jasper and I are both suffering with you."

_Like I care!_

"We can both feel what you feel. We want to help relieve you of that pain-"

_You're selfish then? _Jacob asked bitingly.

My hands balled into fists and my jaw clenched tightly as I tried to control my temper.

"We are standing here patiently, watching you vomit, all the while Jasper can feel your emotions as intensely as you can, and I can hear loud and clear every thought in your mind-"

"Then turn it off!" Jacob grunted into his hands.

"We can't!" I shouted back at him. "It's who we are."

_Sucks to be you then._

"Edward," Jasper said warningly, having felt the change in atmosphere.

"Do you want us to leave?" I demanded of Jacob, shaking slightly with frustration and rage.

_That's the type of thing you do, isn't it? _Jacob said scathingly, looking up from his hands to stare into my eyes. Then he showed me an image of Bella- a Bella I didn't know, but one I could understand. She was standing still, her empty eyes staring at the ground, her arms wrapped tightly around her body as if she would never let go. Her eyes looked black and hollow- Bella's pain was beyond this world and I caused it.

"What is it?" Jasper asked me urgently; he could sense my distress, my guilt, my pain…

_Something the bloodsucker can never heal._

I snapped.

Jacob saw it in my eyes, Jasper in my feelings as I chucked the bucket on the floor and stood towering over the still sitting Jacob.

"Edward-" Jasper warned me. But I didn't listen to him. I grabbed Jacob's shoulders tightly, my hands clenching and unclenching his shoulder blades as I tried to calm my anger. Jacob was frightened and I saw through his mind that a shadow had appeared around my eyes- he knew I was furious and I was glad.

_So kill me, _he taunted me. _Death would be better than this! Bet that would make your life easier, wouldn't it bloodsucker?_

I shook Jacob harshly and I didn't care if it made him sick again. I felt Carlisle standing in the doorway- my back was to him, but I could hear his thoughts of warning. But like with Jasper, I was beyond listening to them. Jacob was preparing himself for another attack on my sanity, but I stopped him before he could think.

"No, stop shouting at me," I began, using a calmer, though perhaps darker tone than I was expecting.

_Try to stop-_

"No!" I shouted now, my arms shaking him by the mere force of my words. "That's enough! I have sat here trying to help you: I have tried to comfort you, I have endured every thought that you have shouted at me, every cry of pain, and every accusation you have made," I hissed, releasing him to grab my head in frustration, my fingers tugging at my hair. "You are torturing me, Jacob! You are driving me absolutely insane with your sarcasm and cruelty! I am not invincible, I am not heartless, and I am not completely dead, because I can still _feel_! The pain you are causing me is unrelenting!" I asserted, my palms pressing into my forehead.

Then, returning my hands to Jacob's shoulders, the boy cringing as he felt my rough grasp and my ice cold hands, I continued: "I know you are terrified, I know it hurts and every time you vomit, my brother can feel the jabbing pain in your stomach, he feels your anxiety and he hates that he cannot help you because you won't let him! And then not only can I hear your pain, I can hear his too! You want me to suffer? Do you want to punish me for what I did to Bella?" I asked him my voice breaking when I said Bella's name. "Then keep going the way you have. I'll send Jasper away and you and I can just sit here and suffer together. Is that what you want?" I shouted, my voice quivering with emotion. I knew I was hurting him- scaring him. But of course, I couldn't be so lucky as to escape his thoughts in the one moment I was able to express mine. But I maintained my composure as I stared into his eyes.

I listened to Jacob take three loud, gasping breaths as he watched me, evidently not sure what to think or say.

Finally, Jacob thought: _No._

"Then don't be selfish and let us help you," I hissed at him, grasping his shoulders tightly, my hands shaking as I watched his face and listened to his thoughts.

"I'm sorry," Jacob whispered, his eyes locked on mine. "Please… don't hurt me," he begged, his eyes wide when he saw that his apology had not altered my dark expression.

I released Jacob's shoulders, horrified by what I'd done and the fear I created in Jacob. Jacob's eyes fill with tears, though he was doing his best not to cry in front of me and my family, his thoughts were filled with guilt and fear. I felt myself crumble, my face becoming softer as I watched his tears fall. I turned away from Jacob's face and closed my eyes. Jacob's thoughts, still piercing in my mind, forced me to grab the bucket next to me and hold it under him as he vomited, and then gagged violently afterwards. Jasper was permitted to rest his hand on Jacob's arm and, once Jacob was able to take a breath, I felt Jasper's gift work on Jacob's body and consequently his mind. Overwhelmed with emotion, I left the bucket next to Jasper and walked out, Carlisle followed me.

The moment I left the room, I banged my head against the wall, though relatively gently compared to what I was capable of; I didn't want the wall to fall down.

"Edward-"

"I'm fine Carlisle," I told my father as I closed my eyes and tried to calm my mind.

"No you aren't, Son," Carlisle said gently as he rubbed my back. _You need a break, I will look after Jacob; I might be able to convince him to take a blood test. Perhaps you can visit Bella? I am sure she will be happy to see you, _Carlisle suggested.

"I wouldn't trust myself around her," I whispered, feeling ashamed of my outburst. "I am so angry," I admitted, turning away from my father's calm face.

"At who?" Carlisle asked. "Jacob? Yourself?"

"I am frustrated with Jacob, disappointed in myself, but most of all I'm just mad- I feel crazy," I whispered, my right hand rubbing my forehead as I tried to calm myself down.

I heard Jasper say Carlisle's name. Immediately, Carlisle entered his office, but I couldn't bring myself to move- I didn't trust myself to be around anyone destructible at the moment- I didn't want to make Jacob sick again and I certainly didn't want to hurt him anymore than I already had.

"Edward," Jasper said in the strong voice he uses when he is concerned for someone in our family. The moment I looked at him, I could see my pain and anger reflected in his thoughts. He approached me slowly and placed his hands on each of my shoulders. Immediately I felt myself calm down and even my mind was clearer.

"Thank you," I whispered, and I knew he could feel my gratitude, though it was a little reduced due to the calm he had forced on me.

"You're welcome," he said, but didn't remove his hands from my shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"Overwhelmed," I answered, closing my eyes again as I continued to rub my head. Now that my anger had disappeared, this allowed me to feel how my head felt, physically. "My mind is achingly full- a dull pain," I told him as I tried my best to clear my thoughts. "This has never happened to me before."

"I am sure Jacob's thoughts would have been difficult to hear," Jasper said sympathetically. "I know his emotions certainly are."

"I'm so sorry for calling you," I said, sorrowfully. "I know you and Alice were having a peaceful time, but I didn't know what else to do."  
>"You did the right thing," Jasper reassured me. "It wouldn't be fair if you had to care for him on your own."<p>

"I was the one who brought him here," I pointed out.

"But myself, Carlisle and Esme agreed to help you."

"I know, and that means everything. But you need a break too," I added, looking at Jasper seriously. "Otherwise you will crack like I did," I said with a bitter smile on my face.

"Hey," Jasper said seriously. "I understand; sometimes I felt to the point of near

insanity too-"

"I will ask Carlisle to look after Jacob for a while; you need a break."

"As do you-"

"I can't leave him, not after what I just did- not when he expects it of me."  
>Jasper looked at me inquisitively, trying to work out exactly what Jacob showed me. "You cannot look after him if you don't look after yourself," Jasper said gently. "Clear your head, visit Bella like Carlisle suggested. Carlisle and I will care for him until you return."<p>

"But Jacob-"

"And if he asks where you've gone, we'll tell him the truth."

"Let me apologise to him; he's thinking at me, apologising… Carlisle is trying to distract him, but it isn't working. I want him to know that I'm okay-"

Jasper grabbed my shoulder as I began to walk back into the office, our actions so fast and brief, a human would not have noticed.

"I will tell him, you need to go," he said gently.

"I'm fine now," I said in my best convincing voice.

Jasper looked at me his eyebrow raised.

"You know you cannot lie to me."

I stared at him, hoping he would relent, but I should've known my brother better- he would not stand aside.

"I will come back," I told him, resigned, my eyes flashing to the room where I knew Jacob was lying there thinking of me.

"I know you will. I know you will not leave him, but I watched you when you were talking to Jacob and I could see the hint of craziness you spoke of. It is difficult to destroy a vampire, but for those of us with gifts like ours, we are far easier to wear out than those like Carlisle and most particularly Rosalie, who doesn't seem to care for another's suffering."

I smiled a little at the jibe towards Rosalie.

"Go visit Bella," Jasper said again and as he said so, I heard Alice ascend the stairs- she knew Jasper needed her.

I was about to protest, but then Alice appeared in front of me and gave me a hug.

"Go," she whispered. "We'll look after Jacob."

I nodded reluctantly and then, taking one final glance at Jasper and Alice, I ran down the stairs and straight through the front door. I sprinted towards Bella's, my face hardening when I heard Jacob vomit again. I forced myself forward… his thoughts slowly faded behind me.

Author's note: So what did you think or Edward's losing control and Jake's fear of him? I hope you all enjoyed it and can see why this is a favourite chapter of mine :) Please take a second to write a review! Thank you for being such amazing readers! I will update on Tuesday. Have a great weekend!


	10. Chapter 9 Guilt

Author's note: Thanks so much to every single person who has reviewed, and added my story to their favourites/alerts lists. I really appreciate it! And welcome to all my new readers and reviewers! It's very exciting to hear from you! I know some of my usual readers haven't reviewed yet (it's such a busy time, I know ) But I hope you will still give me the honour of a review for both this and the previous chapter ;). As always, it means a lot to me to hear how many of you love what I am doing with Edward, Jacob and the Twilight Saga in general. It's wonderful to get such positive feedback!

So here is chapter 9- I will preface this by saying that the primary players in this chapter are Jake, Carlisle and Jasper, I hope you can forgive me for making Edward absent in this one (but the poor guy needs a break)! I hope you enjoy it nevertheless! : )

Reply to reviews:

alphapup0909: Haha, yeah he's trying to be sweet, but is really struggling! I really enjoyed reading your comment and I'm so glad you love the way I am portraying Edward

Yoda11: Thanks so much! It is definitely one of my favourites too!

twin1: Thank you for reviewing! Means a lot! I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

dragongirl423: Thank you for reviewing! I really appreciate it. So glad you are enjoying it so far!

An Exception Nobody (though I am sure you are a somebody!): Thank you for reviewing (it's wonderful to hear from so many new people!)! And I'm honoured that chapter 8 was one of your favourite chapters! EVER? :O Wow.

1sweetmoment: Wow, that was an amazing review you left me. Thank you sooooo much! When I write (all of my fics) I try to make them as realistic as possible both with the characterization and the plot line/dialogue. I am so happy you feel I have done this effectively! I really put a lot of effort into writing, especially the emotional/physical scenes because I know that people do experience such things in real life, and I wouldn't want to minimize their experiences by not giving it my all. And I update every Tuesday and Saturday (Australian time) so rest assured, another chapter will always be on the way! Thanks once again for your amazing compliments and review!

Jaruto: Thank you (and thanks for reviewing!)! I'm so glad you are loving it so far and you think I'm doing the Twilight characters justice! It's great to hear : ) Don't worry about your English, I can tell by your review how much you love it (and love me! :O) Thank you! I update every Tuesday and Saturday (Australian time). Unfortunately this story has an end But that won't happen for a while yet, so enjoy the ride!

Eruhin: Hehe, I love intense moments ;) And I totally agree, Jake was asking for it, and of course, no would blame Edward for snapping, Jacob was really trying to emotionally hurt him. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait for chapter 11 (ie. Two updates from now) to see them make up, but I promise you it'll be good ;) Thanks heaps for reviewing!

Trust me

Chapter 9- Guilt

Jacob's POV

Dr Cullen was talking to me about blood tests, but I wasn't really listening. He was saying something about wanting to wait until Jasper returned before attempting to take my blood so he could keep me calm should something happen. But all I could do was stare at the door. I could hear people talking outside and knew that Jasper and Edward were talking in hurried voices- the type I couldn't understand which was just typical.

As I was trying to eavesdrop, I was interrupted by flashes of Edward's face popping into my mind, the way his expression darkened when he shouted at me, his white teeth glinting dangerously through his lips as he shook me. I touched my shoulder absent-mindedly, my muscles aching from where he grabbed me. I never realised until that moment how much he was sacrificing to be with me through all of this, and how do I repay him? By bringing up what he did to Bella. Don't get me wrong, I still hate him for what he did to the girl I love, but I didn't want him to leave- I was just sick and tired of needing him all the time! I was angry- angry at my situation- angry at _me_ for getting me into this situation to begin with.

_I'm sorry, Edward, _I said to Edward again in the hope he would acknowledge me.

Carlisle's gentle voice was still in my ear, but I couldn't pay attention to him as I watched hopefully when Jasper and Alice entered the room, Esme bringing up the rear. I hardly looked at them, my eyes glued to the opened door, waiting for Edward to follow in after them.

He never came.

I felt a sense of loss- emptiness, as my stomach sank. It was such a stupid feeling, but it felt weird being here without him. I wasn't afraid of Carlisle or Esme, or any of the others, but I still wasn't used to their scent- it always reminded me that I was in enemy territory. But Edward smelt almost normal to me- I hated that he was no longer around.

Jasper placed his hand on my back and suddenly I felt a calmness come over me which allowed me to focus on what I had done- why Edward left to begin with. I searched the faces of the vampires who surrounded me, trying to find an accusatory glare or a hint of resentment in their golden eyes. But I found the opposite: concern, for me and for Edward. In the silence I felt my stomach churn and immediately grabbed it in agony.

"Carlisle," I groaned, to almost immediately see the blue bucket under me. My stomach felt like it lurched up into my throat. God this was the worst feeling in the world: I would prefer to phase for the first time one hundred times than face this again. When I finished hurling my guts out, I gripped the side of the bed, my muscles tensed. Jasper's effect was wearing off, my nose was burning, and although Alice had thankfully removed the disgusting vomit from below me, no one had said anything- not even Carlisle. At first I thought it was because they were waiting for me to ask the question: 'Where is Edward', but then all I could think about was how much their silence upset me- there was no comfort here, and why should I expect any after what I did to Edward?

I wanted to avoid their gazes, still buttery and concerned, because I knew things were different now- I could just tell. I closed my eyes to block them out, my hands still gripped around the mattress, my shoulders slumped forward; the only way I could comfortably sit given the pain in my stomach. The moment a tear escaped from under my eyelid, I felt Jasper's ice cold hand on my shoulder; I couldn't blame him for wanting my sadness, guilt and fear to go away. I let him in, but was shocked when I didn't feel any different; he wasn't using his gift. It seemed Alice, Carlisle and Esme thought Jasper was using his gift too, but when I put my head in my hands to try to stop the tears from flowing, muttering: "I'm sorry," the rest moved into action.

I felt two hands rest on my shoulders and immediately I cringed away from the pressure; although the bruises caused by Edward's grip were slowly healing, they were still painful. But the hands returned, more gently this time and along with the action came Carlisle's voice: "None of this is your fault, Jacob," he told me gently.

But I wasn't in the mood to allow the doctor to make me feel better. "He left because of me," I reminded them forcefully.

"Yes," Jasper spoke, his hand on my back now, "he did. But he has gone to visit Bella-"

"A place he can go to clear his head," Alice chimed in. "And visit his girlfriend of course," she smiled. "Ah, he just arrived at her place," she said with satisfaction as if she no longer had to worry about him.

"So," Jasper continued, looking at his mate playfully as if he were used to her interrupting all the time, "do not blame yourself. Besides," Jasper said gently. "Edward wanted me to tell you that he's sorry for what he did and that he _will_ be back."

"It's my fault, not his," I told them seriously. "I should have co-operated."

"I am sure that is easier said than done," Esme pointed out sympathetically. "No one is to blame."

"That's right," Carlisle supported his wife, wrapping his arm around her waist. "The main thing is to get you better and one way to help us do that…" Carlisle paused, his eyes waiting until I was game enough to look at him so he could convey the importance of letting them help me, "is to examine your blood."

I wanted to keep arguing with them about Edward and especially about the blood test, but I realised there was no point- given Carlisle had barely stopped talking about the blood test since all of this started, I knew how important it must be.

I nodded my head conceding defeat. Carlisle smiled, as did Esme, and then the two of them started moving around me, getting the instruments prepared. They were ready in two seconds flat: Esme was poised on my right, Carlisle on my left, Jasper and Alice had hardly moved since they began.

"Carlisle," Jasper said suddenly in a voice that sounded apprehensive. "I shouldn't be here." I watched Carlisle's face (it was too difficult to turn around to look at Jasper's) as his eyes narrowed in concern.

"You'll be fine Jasper," Carlisle said reassuringly as he reached over, I presumed, to touch his son's shoulder.

"I would prefer not to take the risk," he said seriously and I could tell by the tone in his voice that he was not going to stay. "Esme can help support Jacob when I am not here- if you really need my help, call," he asserted and then the next second he and Alice were out the door.

I looked between Carlisle and Esme, waiting for them to react or say something. But they didn't. It wasn't difficult for me to work out what Jasper's issue was though it was a little unnerving that Jasper felt uncomfortable in the presence of blood, even if it was in a glass tube (though breakable, I suppose). Perhaps my apprehension would make it harder for him to stay in control of his thirst? I tried to stop worrying about it because his parents did not appear concerned by his quick departure, and besides there were other things I needed to focus on.

Carlisle briefly described the procedure to me again; he wasn't so clueless as to believe I heard him the first time. Once he had finished and the needle was approaching my arm, my heart racing, I remembered something important.

"Wait!" I said, pulling my left arm away.

"Are you feeling ill?" Carlisle asked immediately, watching my face for some evidence of squeamishness.

"No- no I hope not." _Thanks for reminding me… _"You told me and Sam that you would need some 'normal' blood to compare mine to, but Sam has left and he didn't give you any blood-"

Carlisle let out a small chuckle and Esme just beamed.

"What?" I asked, really confused by their reactions.

"Before leaving, Sam asked Carlisle to take some of his blood, just in case you changed your mind," Esme said smiling.

I was shocked, which must have been evident on my face because Esme and Carlisle laughed at my expression.

"He coped remarkably well; he never complained and remained very still," he complimented my brother. "And although he almost broke the bathroom railing with his other arm," he added, chuckling again. "He allowed me to take the blood I needed."

It was silent for a moment as I allowed this to mull over in my head. If Sam could do this, then I knew I could.

Eventually I nodded and held out my arm again. Esme began rubbing my back, knowing that my shoulders still hurt from where Edward grabbed me, and whispered in my ear that everything would be okay. Her breath made my nose wrinkle in disgust, but I tried not to show it as I didn't want to offend her. It was annoying that I wasn't getting used to any of the other Cullen's scents like I had with Edward's.

I turned away from my arm when I saw Carlisle nearing my skin. Once the needle was inserted, I could hear my blood oozing into the vile and cringed at the sound- perhaps it was this that would have tempted Jasper? But Carlisle and Esme sounded perfectly at ease as the blood continued to spill into the tube. I felt Carlisle change vials, so tried to keep my arm relaxed.

"Well done," Esme encouraged in my ear, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up; the coldness of her breath taking me by surprise. I kept focusing on staying calm- I was glad we didn't need to call Jasper back.

I was relieved to feel the needle leaving my skin. Once it was removed and Carlisle had applied pressure and a small bandage to the area, I looked at my arm and then towards Carlisle. I could see the two vials of my blood sitting in a holder at the doctor's desk. Carlisle began washing and packing up the instruments when Esme removed her hand from my back and stood in front of me.

"I will let Jasper and Alice know we are finished," she said kindly. "You did very well, Jacob."

"Thanks," I said, turning away from her gaze in embarrassment; she was so proud of me it was weird…

I watched Esme leave. Carlisle had finished cleaning his instruments and was now labelling my vials.

"I will take these to the hospital and look at them now, so we can estimate how much longer you'll be sick," he said delicately. "How do you feel?" he asked, suddenly concerned.

"Fine," I said truthfully.

"You are not vomiting as often as you were previously, so hopefully that means you are recovering," he said with a smile. "I can hear Jasper and Alice returning now," he said, his ear pointing towards the door. "I will be back as soon as I can with the results," the doctor reassured me, his hand resting on my right arm.

"Thank you," I said, maintaining eye contact with Carlisle to show him that I really meant it. He smiled and left the room only five seconds before Alice and Jasper entered as if nothing had happened.

I felt like I was constantly being monitored, as if I wasn't well enough to be on my own for more than a minute.

"You don't have to be here," I told Jasper and Alice seriously as they approached my bed. Alice raised her eyebrows, her lips turning into a smile.

"We know," she said cheerfully. "But we promised Edward."

I was not expecting this, but then I remembered that they did say they would look after me… but surely they could do that from a distance?

"I respect that," I went on. "But if I am sick again," I cringed and shuddered at the thought, "I can lean over and spew into the bucket and if I miss, well…" I paused, almost laughing at the thoughts that went through my head, "you guys are so fast at cleaning it up, it won't really matter will it?"

Jasper smirked, and Alice looked mortified as if she wondered whether I would miss the bucket on purpose just to see them work.

"Actually, there is something I would like to ask you, but if you would prefer we leave you in peace, then we will," Jasper asserted.

"I will seriously be fine on my own- besides, your stench is getting to me," I joked, though it was actually true, but I said it in a fun way, not wanting to scare them off until I heard what Jasper wanted to ask me. In fact, this reminded me of a question of my own. "Come to think of it," I began, "there is something I want to ask you too. But you first," I insisted.

Jasper stood in front of me, his eyes boring into mine. I tried to return his gaze; his golden eyes were very bright and I could tell he was determined to get an answer from me. I couldn't help but gulp. Realising my distress, he softened his face, but the determination was still there.

"Just before Edward…. snapped," he said delicately. "I felt him experience tremendous… emotional pain- primarily guilt. You may have noticed that I asked him what was wrong but he refused to tell me. Edward also told me just before he left that he did not want to leave because that was exactly what you expect of him. Would you care to enlighten me as to what you said to him through your thoughts?" The final question sounded like an attack, and I suppose it was given that Edward's pain was essentially Jasper's as well.

"Look," I began a little sheepishly, knowing that it was cruel to show Edward my memory of Bella at her worst. "I was scared and angry; I should not have showed him what I did."

"You showed him a memory?" Alice chimed in; apparently they were not expecting this.

I nodded, unable to look them in the eye, knowing that if they asked me to describe it they would share some of Edward's guilt and pain.

"What was it?" Jasper asked in a whispered voice which was quite unnerving.

"I remembered two things: the first time I saw Bella after you all left, and the way Bella reacted whenever I said Edward's name," I told them. The reaction was instantaneous, Alice and Jasper were like statues. Neither of them spoke.

"You need to understand," I continued hurriedly. "That before Edward found me, I hated him- _hated _him for what he did to Bella. It was hard to push that aside to let him help me. I was so mad at myself- at the situation I was in, that I just exploded. I felt so weak and useless, but instead of co-operating with Edward, I took everything out on him. He left Bella, someone he claims to love, so he could easily leave me… This sounds stupid," I hissed and stopped talking.

"Keep going," Alice encouraged kindly, apparently no longer frozen, though Jasper still was.

I scowled at her, but knew I should obey her request- it felt good to justify why I showed Edward those memories.

"I do not know why you all left to begin with- Bella refused to tell me. But with all of the inconvenience I have caused you and your family, a small part of me related to Bella- how upsetting it would be if you all upped and left. So," I took a deep breath. "I gave Edward a reason to leave… it's better than being abandoned for no apparent reason…" I trailed off feeling beyond stupid.

By this point, Alice was smiling something horrid. I growled at her in annoyance and I seriously would have tried to hit her if she started prancing around the room in happiness that I not only needed, but wanted her family around. But then I turned my face to Jasper who was staring out the window, his mind no doubt full of thoughts, but I had no idea what he was thinking.

Finally he spoke: "Firstly, Edward is a decent- vampire- individual… he would not leave someone who needs him as you do, so you do not need to fear that," he told me seriously. "Secondly, please do not show Edward those memories again. While it was he who decided to leave Forks, it was not his fault-"

"Jasper no," Alice insisted, grabbing hold of Jasper's arm and looking beseechingly in his eyes. "You mustn't."

"He deserves to know," Jasper replied seriously.

"He may, but what if he tells his pack?" she whispered hurriedly to him, though unfortunately for her, I could still hear.

"I- I won't tell anyone," I said hesitantly, a promise I was only willing to make because I was so curious.

Jasper ignored Alice's stare and turned to me. "Thank you," he nodded. "I only ask that you wait until I have finished before you interrupt. Is that acceptable to you?"

I felt Jasper's tone and speech was highly formal, but I agreed immediately.

"On the day of Bella's birthday, she came to our house to celebrate. She was unwrapping a gift when she cut herself on the wrapping paper." Jasper paused just as I whispered: "Typical Bella- sorry!" I added, forgetting that I shouldn't have interrupted, even though Jasper had paused anyway. But Jasper did not continue- he stared at me as if waiting for me to piece the pieces together.

"Did she bleed?" I asked, my stomach sinking, my heart accelerating. "What happened?" I persisted, but I didn't wait for an answer; what could be so horrible that Edward would leave Bella? An attack…

"Jasper," Alice said harshly, evidently upset by the guilt that was now evident on Jasper's face.

"What happened?" I asked again, waiting impatiently for Jasper to answer.

"I hadn't fed for two weeks," Jasper continued, almost pleading with me, but in a subtle way- I could never imagine Jasper pleading with anyone, he just wasn't the type. "Her blood was too much for me. I lurched towards her… if Alice was not able to see the future and Edward could not read minds, I would have killed her," he told me slowly for emphasis. I was finding it difficult to swallow… I didn't speak.

"Edward stood in front of Bella and pushed her away from me. Unfortunately he pushed her too hard. She fell into a glass cabinet which shattered, cutting her arm which intensified her bleeding. It took Emmett, Carlisle and Edward to get me out of the house and away from her scent. Carlisle and Edward then returned to attend to Bella."

Alice wrapped her arms around Jasper and hugged him close, but Jasper did not return the gesture. Jasper continued to stare at me, but then suddenly, his demeanour changed into that of guilt.

"After many minutes, when I was able to rationally think about what I did," he continued in a low voice filled with emotion now, "I felt terrible- a monster- out of control and dangerous. I could not imagine how Edward was ever going to forgive me. Although he was only feeling concern and anxiety for Bella at the time, I knew that once the bleeding had stopped, I would have to answer to him. I was also concerned for my relationship with Bella; I was expecting her to be terrified of being within 50 meters of me-"

I couldn't help but stifle a laugh- of course this was no laughing matter but the idea of Bella running away from a Cullen was just hilarious; there is no way she ever would- it was so Bella.

"You think this is funny?" Jasper snapped at me.

"No!" I answered immediately, changing my facial features to a far more serious expression. "I just cannot imagine Bella being terrified of a Cullen."

"Well you're right," Jasper answered, almost annoyed that Bella was not afraid of him. "Edward insisted that none of us go to school until we worked out what to do. While we all thought it would be better, safety wise, for Bella if we all moved away, only Edward and perhaps I to an extent, felt we actually should leave. Because of my gift, I knew how Bella felt about Edward and Edward for Bella. To split them up, I knew, would be a foolish mistake- one that would likely destroy them both and as we now know, it almost did. But Edward refused to listen to any of us and forbade Alice from looking to the future to see how Bella would cope. He wanted to leave for Bella's safety and I promise you, his intentions were good- all he wanted was to protect her from what we are- from me."

I nodded- I understood because I felt a similar way when I found out I was a werewolf. But I had a question: "Why did no one else react like you did?" I asked him carefully. "Had they fed more recently?"

Jasper paused for a moment. "Alice, Esme, and Carlisle should have all been in a similar situation. However, my past has been very different from theirs."

I waited eagerly for more- it was strange that despite knowing that Jasper almost killed Bella, I felt calm around him… maybe he was making me feel that way?

"For the first 80 or so years of my vampire life I drank human blood. It was painful to do so for I could feel every emotion and feeling they experienced as I killed them. I learnt to kill quickly just to avoid that sensation," Jasper spoke coldly almost as if he were detached from the killing entirely- maybe that's how vampires- the good ones at least- cope with the guilt of killing other people. "When I met Alice," Alice kissed her partner on the cheek, but never let go of him. "She found the Cullens and we adopted their lifestyle. As I was so used to drinking human blood, it took me a long time to get used to the change in diet. Although I have not fed on a human in many years, their smell tempts me far more than the rest of my family. It is a weakness I despise in myself-"

"Don't say that," Alice whispered seriously. "You are doing your best."

"Is- is that why you left when Carlisle took my blood?" I asked my original question to see if my suspicions were correct.

"Yes- I didn't want to take the risk, even though I fed recently- the last thing you need is more vampire venom," he said sourly.

"Too true," I admitted; even the concept of going through all of this again made me feel helpless.

"So," Jasper said in a business-like tone. "Do you promise not to blame Edward for the suffering Bella endured this year? If you want to be mad at someone, direct it at me- it was my fault," he said seriously.

"I'll do my best regarding Edward," I told the blonde vampire before me. "But I cannot be angry with you," I said but then immediately wondered why. "I guess that's because I can see you feel bad about it. The moment I saw Edward's face…" I shook my head at the memory of it. "I felt terrible. As much as I hate him for what he did to Bella, there's no denying that he loves her."

"He does," Jasper confirmed, evidently relieved that I agreed to cut Edward some slack.

I felt quite proud of myself for not over-reacting to Jasper's confession, but I guess after having to trust him to calm me down on multiple occasions, I honestly couldn't justify turning on him.

"Thank you for understanding. Did that conversation answer your question from before?"

"Yes, it did. Thanks." Jasper nodded his head and Alice watched me with curious eyes, evidently wondering why I hadn't flipped out about what Jasper had almost done to Bella. I honestly didn't know why I wasn't more alarmed- I guess being around vampires for 48 hours non-stop does that to you. I gave her a small smile, feeling in a particularly cheery mood- yes, I was impressed with myself.

Author's note: I know this chapter is quite different to the previous two (nowhere near the amount of angst or emotional intensity, and no Edward), but I hope you have forgiven me and found this chapter interesting anyway! Just so you know, Edward and Jacob do not see each other again until chapter 11, ie. Not my next post, but the post after. Thought I would just mention that so I don't leave you all hanging! I promise he'll be back soon ;) Anyway, please, please comment and vote! And what do you think of Jasper's confession and his defence of Edward? In line with his character? Or not? I can't wait to hear from you all! I'll post up chapter 10 on Saturday :)


	11. Chapter 10 Respect

Author's note: So as I mentioned last time I updated, this chapter does not have Edward in it either (but he will be in chapter 11, I promise!). Nevertheless, I hope you still enjoy his one; we get to have a squiz at Sam's perspective ; ) Please remember to comment and vote when you're done! Happy reading!

Reply to reviews:

alphapup0909: Thank you for your compliments regarding the Jacob/Jasper interaction. I am glad you liked it. Sorry to deprive you of Edward for another chapter (he is my favourite too), but I hope it will be worth the wait! In the mean time, I hope you will enjoy this chapter : )

Sweetie7smiled: Thank you for your review. I have to admit that I never really considered how the Cullens thirst (especially Bella being Edward's 'singer) would affect poor Jasper. And I totally agree that Jasper does very well under the circumstances. If I have the opportunity, I will add this realization into a future chapter, because I think you make an excellent point! Thank you for taking the time to mention it to me!

Eruhin: I loved reading your review- you highlighted everything I loved about the chapter too, especially Jacob's remorse and the way the Cullens were so ready to comfort him through it. Rosalie and Emmett are not around at the moment, but I promise they will feature in the story (though not for another 3-4 chapters).

1sweetmoment: The beginning of your review left me a little scared as I read- I thought you were going to say you no longer liked the way I write Edward! I am so glad that is not the case- I see Edward as being, as you say, selfless and brave too. And I was annoyed that this wasn't really explained to Jacob in the Saga. And you are right, I think Jacob is naïve (not his own fault of course), which is another reason why I wanted to write this fic- he gains a lot more knowledge about Edward's relationship with Bella, the Cullens and vampires in general. Thank you once again for your amazing compliments- I like to think I have a gift, so it's a very beautiful thing when someone agrees with me! Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Altairra: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you are loving it! My main focus in this story is on Jacob and Edward plus their feelings as they go through this journey together. I am therefore very, very happy you love the way I write these emotional moments; they are my favourites! I update every Saturday and Tuesday (Australian time), so don't worry- there will always be regular, consistent updates :D

Trust me

Chapter 10- Respect

Jacob's POV

I was relieved to see Carlisle return with a satisfied smile on his face. He told Jasper and Alice that they were free to leave and that he would stay with me until Edward returned. So, it was just me and the doc.

"My speculations were correct," Carlisle informed me, obviously relieved by this as he sat down on the edge of my bed.

_No surprise there, _I said to myself, knowing all along that he'd be right. But I decided not to be smart about it, so I just smiled in reply.

"Your white blood cells are actively fighting to rid the venom from your system. However, a small amount of venom remains, so I am afraid you may need to endure occasional vomiting for a while longer," Carlisle warned me, a solemn look on his face.

In all honesty, this wasn't exactly news to me; I figured I couldn't magically stop vomiting all of a sudden. But I was relieved to hear Carlisle's diagnosis; soon I will be venom free.

"I can handle it," I told him confidently, feeling optimistic that soon my retching will be over.

Carlisle nodded his agreement. "If you let me, I will test your blood again before you fall to sleep tonight, that way we can see how fast your white blood cells are able to destroy the venom"

I nodded my consent.

"In the mean time, I suggest you rest as much as possible; your body needs its strength. I imagine vampire venom would not be easy to destroy, but if there were any species capable of it, from what I've heard, a werewolf would be it," he encouraged me, clapping me gently on the arm. "Do your shoulders still ache?" he asked me, moving his hands slowly towards them as if to remove the shirt I was wearing- Emmett's I believe.

I shrugged. "It's just some bruises," I told him indifferently; the pain didn't bother me really.

"May I take a look?" Carlisle asked, evidently wanting to respect my boundaries and wishes.

"Yeah, but I'm telling you that it's nothing, they don't hurt unless someone touches them," I told him, hoping it really wasn't a big deal for I hadn't had the chance to look at the damage myself.

I took my shirt off so Carlisle could see.

Upon laying eyes on my bare shoulders, the doc was rendered speechless, but only for a second. Then he bent over me and examined the bruises. He ran his cold, though gentle thumb across each bruise, apparently not realizing that it was hurting me. I studied his face, but couldn't tell if he was curious or in shock. While he was there, Carlisle also looked at the bite Victoria gave me and commented that it was healing well, though perhaps slower than other injuries I may have had in the past.

I ran my fingers along the back of my neck and confirmed his suspicions; I was healing, but not as fast as usually would be expected from a bite from a human or another wolf.

Satisfied that he had examined all of my physical injuries, Carlisle resumed a standing position in front of me, but did not give me permission to put my shirt back on.

"Have you seen the bruises on your shoulders?" Carlisle asked me, almost cautiously as if he feared I would become angry if I were to see them.

"No, but they're just bruises right?"

"Yes… they are just bruises," confirmed Carlisle. "But I would have thought bruises would heal quickly or perhaps wouldn't even occur in werewolves?"

I thought about this for a moment.

"I have bruised before," I told Carlisle. "But normally they heal very quickly."

Carlisle nodded his head, his expression thoughtful.

"Edward must have grabbed you very hard," he finally concluded, looking at me now with an apologetic glare. "I also feel the venom has slowed down your healing abilities," Carlisle continued. I agreed with him on both regards, but didn't quite know what to say to the first comment made; Edward's grip was very strong, I thought my bones would almost break, but I didn't wish to tell Carlisle that- Edward's anger and pain need only be known to me…

"Probably," I said noncommittally.

"There is a bruise on your shoulder for every finger tip of Edward's," Carlisle said solemnly, staring at each of my shoulders as he counted again.

"They'll disappear soon enough," I told him, trying to show how much it didn't bother me. Carlisle looked at me skeptically.

Just at that moment, I felt my stomach churn. Carlisle must have seen the change in my face because he already had the bucket under me before I could even begin to ask. Five seconds later I hurled primarily clear liquid, but it took the air right out of me. I could hardly breathe. I was gasping for air when my body finally allowed me to.

"Deep breaths, Jacob," Carlisle encouraged me, rubbing my back as he put the bucket down and sat next to me. I obeyed and it was easier to stay calm than it had been in the past- perhaps because I knew I wouldn't be sick again for a while.

"You okay?"

"Yep," I said, though I struggled to speak, my mouth felt and tasted disgusting, and Carlisle's scent made my nose sting; he was sitting so close to me now. I appreciated his comfort though.

"Would you like some water?" Carlisle offered me the glass next to my bed. I shook my head; I wasn't thirsty.

"Rinse your mouth?" he suggested, indicating towards the bathroom. I nodded and walked there slowly, Carlisle walking unobtrusively by my side. I ran the tap, cupped my hands and felt them fill with cool water. I splashed the first lot on my face and the next I used to fill my mouth, swished and spat. I then saw a toothbrush lying on the shelf- it looked new. A full tube of toothpaste sat next to it. I wondered if someone had placed it there for me when they knew I was coming.

"Carlisle?" I said quietly, knowing he could still hear me even though the door was closed.

"Yes, Jacob?"

"Can I use this toothbrush?" I asked, holding it in my hand and showing Carlisle through the door.

"Of course, we put it there for you," he said kindly as if he would like nothing more than for me to use anything I wanted if it made me feel more comfortable in their home.

Carlisle and Esme's hospitality were beyond believable, even for humans- which they weren't. I could see why they fell in love- they're very similar; loving and compassionate to all living creatures, probably even the animals they killed.

I returned to the bed, my mouth feeling refreshed and minty flavoured. Glad to have the acidic bile taste gone, I sat on my bed; my eyes felt a little droopy.

I saw Carlisle watch me with a smile on his face, and then he handed me my shirt, which I put on, my shoulders hurting a little bit as I lifted my arms up.

"Have some rest, Jacob," Carlisle said, his golden eyes piercing mine. "I will call your father and let him know how you are going." His voice sounded almost like music- I wondered if that was intentional. But I didn't want to sleep just yet- there was something I wanted to ask him.

"Wait."

Carlisle turned, for he was heading towards the door, thankfully at human speed otherwise I wouldn't have caught him. "Did you need something else?"

"No, but I wanted to ask you something- I would have asked Edward, but he's not here, so…" I trailed off, pangs of guilt returning to me as I mentioned Edward's name.

"Of course, what would you like to know?" Carlisle encouraged me as he sat on my bed, folding his hands in his lap as he patiently waited for me to begin.

I felt a little awkward as I remembered the way Edward warned me that I wouldn't want to know the answer to my question, but I forced myself to continue; I was curious.

I lifted my head to look Carlisle in the eye. The moment I saw his golden irises watching me, it gave me motivation to continue.

"When Edward found me, his eyes were black- he didn't look that well. I wondered why his eyes weren't the usual golden-brown colour your coven is known for, but instead of answering me, he told me that I would probably 'prefer not to know the answer'."

I stopped speaking after this, waiting to see if Carlisle would volunteer the information I was so curious to know.

Carlisle paused, examining me closely with his eyes as if wondering whether he should tell me.

"I can handle it," I insisted, seeing the uncertainty in his gaze.

Carlisle let out a gentle sigh.

"As you know, our irises reflect our diet," Carlisle explained, shifting slightly on my bed. "Vampires who have had a recent drink of human blood, have red irises, those who drink animal blood have golden irises, and those with black eyes, and often bruises underneath them are… _thirsty_," Carlisle finished cautiously.

I stared at the doctor in disbelief.

"Edward was _thirsty_ the night he found me?" I asked, my tone raised both in awe and fear.

_No wonder why he refused to tell me…_

Carlisle nodded, a frown appearing on his lips.

"Once you had fallen asleep that night, we forced Edward to consider how long it had been since he had fed…"  
>"And how long had it been?" I prompted the vampire.<p>

"Six weeks," Carlisle replied solemnly. "I still wonder how it was possible he didn't kill you or Bella."  
>"You mean he could have easily sucked me dry?" I clarified, feeling sick.<p>

"Yes," Carlisle said seriously, "though if any of my children were capable of such control, it would be Edward," he reflected, apparently satisfied with this revelation.

"So he fed whilst I was sleeping," I confirmed, now understanding how it was possible that Edward had honey-coloured eyes after I woke up from my nightmare.

"Yes; I have reason to believe that if he didn't, we could have had some serious problems with him," Carlisle said sadly. "It is dangerous when vampires have not fed in such a long time; they become… inconsolable and quick to temper."

I nodded. "I get like that too when I'm starving," I smiled a little, hoping Carlisle would appreciate my joke.

Carlisle chuckled. "I am glad you can relate, though of course, having an angry, irrational vampire who can hear everyone's thoughts is slightly more complicated," he smiled at me.

"Sure, sure," I allowed. "Well, Edward told me my blood didn't taste very good anyway."

The doc smiled gently, his lips only moving slightly: "Generally one's smell reflects the taste of their blood," he told me gently. "But blood is still blood," he emphasized as if trying to tell me, without freaking me out, that Edward would have found my blood satisfactory to feed on nevertheless.

I shivered and then let out a bark of laughter. "I was so worried he would suck me dry," I muttered, lost in thought as I stared at my hands, "he reassured me he wouldn't. Ha!" I snorted. "If I had known exactly how hard it was for him to keep his promise, I never would have let him touch me. No wonder why he refused to tell me why he looked so terrible…"

"Undoubtedly," Carlisle agreed.

"Well thanks for that Doc," I said somewhat enthusiastically, trying to make it sound like I wasn't all that affected by what he told me.

"No problem, Jacob. Is there anything else you need before I go?"

"Nope, I'm good," I smiled. "Thanks."

I watched as Carlisle slid off my bed, refilled the glass on my bedside table with water, gave me a warm smile and then walked towards the door.

"Carlisle?" I said suddenly, trying to make what I was about to say sound like it was a spur of the moment thought, when in fact, I had wanted to say it for at least a day.

"Yes Jacob?" the doc replied, turning on the spot to face me.

"Thank you for letting me stay with your family. I know it hasn't been easy on any of you… You didn't have to look after me, but you did- I wasn't expecting you to," I admitted feeling a little foolish when I realized the huge contrast between my expectations and reality. "But I'm grateful. It no longer surprises me that you've never fed on human blood; we- humans and wolves are people you care for- not food. I almost feel like- like I don't deserve your kindness."

Carlisle, who had taken a breath a few times throughout my spiel in an attempt to speak, forced me to listen to him here.

"Why do you feel that way?" he asked, intensely curious and it was evident on his face that he completely disagreed.

"This entire year, I have bad mouthed your whole family to Bella- especially Edward. Until now you were bloodsucking, dead monsters who would kill me, my brothers and any straggling humans in a heartbeat should the Treaty no longer exist." I let out a short, harsh laugh in spite of myself; while that description holds true for most vampires, it didn't for the Cullens. "I'm glad the situation wasn't reversed," I admitted, looking away from Carlisle to stare at the floor. "If a Cullen was in need of our assistance, I know for a fact that we wouldn't give it. When Edward found me, there was a part of me that wanted him to let me die because I knew that that is what I would do to him- to any of you."

"Jacob," Carlisle said quietly, his voice forced me to lift my head to face him. "Edward told me that our return to Forks a few years back marked Sam's phasing into a wolf. I fear this means our presence triggers the gene that caused him, as well as you and your brothers to follow in his footsteps. You are able to phase into these magnificent creatures, so you can protect your tribe and human-beings from us. Is this correct?"

I nodded; I could see where this was going.

"Then it is understandable you would find it impossible to spare our lives- to help us- why would you when we are the reason you had to endure such a transformation?"  
>"Yeah, I know- I know that is how my tribe feels, but now I cannot think that way anymore," I whispered, realizing that I would have difficulty if my pack ever needed to confront the Cullens in future. It seemed unlikely to ever happen due to the Treaty, but if it did, I couldn't kill them- not after what they've done for me. "It's not like you wanted this life either; you didn't want to be vampires…" I muttered under my breath, realizing for the first time that in this way, the Cullens and my pack were similar- reluctant to be what we are.<p>

Carlisle didn't answer me and for a moment, I wondered whether he heard. But of course, he did- the fact that he hadn't moved should have alerted me to that. Eventually, he unfroze, walked towards the bed and kneeled down on the ground, forcing me to look into his golden eyes.

"Thank you, Jacob," he whispered, and I could tell he really appreciated what I had said. I wouldn't be surprised if I was the only human (though definitely the only wolf) to acknowledge their existence as being one they never intended for themselves. Well- Bella would be an exception of course.

I returned his gaze and gave him a smile, glad that I was able, in my own little way, to give something in return for his medical assistance, guidance and support.

"You're welcome," was all I could say in reply; I didn't know where to go from there.

Then I decided to tell him what else I had realized since being under his coven's care:

"I told myself that anything you did for me would be like returning the favour for looking after Bella these last few months- I thought I could walk away after this and feel that all your help was given to simply thank me. But this isn't like that- even if you never left Bella to begin with, you would still be this way wouldn't you?"

Still crouched on the ground, Carlisle replied: "Yes, though please understand that we are all grateful that you were here to look out for Bella… we never should have left."  
>"Jasper told me what happened."<p>

Carlisle's eyebrows raised in shock, for what reason I wasn't sure.

"I blamed Edward for leaving though," I added quickly, feeling that I might as well get everything off my chest as I had with Alice and Jasper. "I was thinking along those lines just before Edward…" _snapped? Cracked? Went crazy? Left?_

But I didn't need to think of the appropriate word- Carlisle knew what I meant.

"We rarely saw Edward once we left. I was worried about him- I knew we shouldn't have removed ourselves from Bella- that it would destroy them both. Jasper told us at least that much, but Edward refused to listen. My son can be so stubborn, but he loves her- he did it for her. I am proud to say he is the most compassionate- the most controlled of my children, his control around Bella is especially impressive."

"Probably gets it from you," I muttered, a smirk forming on my face.

"I can only encourage him so far. The rest is up to him," Carlisle told me, his lips twitching upward at my compliment, though he was too modest to acknowledge it.

I nodded; I supposed that made sense. But then frowning, I continued what I wanted to say: "I didn't cooperate with him though- I knew he was trying to help me but I just couldn't let him- I was getting tired of it all, ya know?"

"We understand and although it may not have seemed obvious at the time, Edward understands too- he just needed a break from it, as anyone does, but especially Edward who can hear everybody's thoughts. It was not easy for him to see the dream you had this morning and it-"

"Wait, he saw that?" I asked in disbelief, though I suppose it made sense. I shuddered at what Edward must have thought of me killing Bella.

"Yes," Carlisle said seriously. "I was going to suggest to him that he leave you and let us clean up, but he ignored my thoughts."

"Hope he's okay," I said under my breath, wondering how long it would be before he returned, though knowing he was with Bella, I assumed he would take a while.

"He is," Carlisle reassured me with a smile, not a shadow of a doubt in his eyes. "Ah, Alice just said that Charlie will be leaving lunch with Billy shortly… Perhaps it would be a good time to check up on the rest of my family and then call your father, unless you wanted to talk further?"

"Nah that's okay, Doc, I'm feeling a bit tired now," I said yawning. "Thanks for keeping my dad informed."

"You are more than welcome," Carlisle said, as he helped me into bed. "It's the least I can do for him given that he allowed you to stay here."

I snorted. "Only because I convinced him you saved my life- which you probably did."

"Even so," Carlisle chuckled. "He made sure your pack didn't come after you which I have to be grateful for."

"Yeah, you kinda need to get bitten by a vampire, and then rescued by one and looked after by many to really get it," I said casually, a smile on my face.

"Right," Carlisle laughed. "Well I'm going to quickly call your father and then I'll come back and see how you are. Does that sound okay with you?"

My eyes were already closed, but I could still hear the doc. "Yeah," I whispered as I fell into a peaceful sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam's POV

The moment I left the Cullen's I ran into the forest where I phased. Even before my body had finished trembling from the change, I had two panicked voices shouting in my mind.

"How is he?"  
>"Is Jacob okay?"<p>

Embry and Quil. Embry? Phased for the first time two weeks ago- he was new to all of this, but was doing well with the help of Jacob and Quil. Both of them were on patrol when I left this morning to visit Jacob and demanded I tell them where I was going. I told them- reluctantly, but as the alpha I forbade them to tell any of the other brothers; we were not to attack unless they were keeping Jacob there against his will. As I reflected on what the reality of the situation was, I found myself being grateful that the Cullens were willing and able to care for him. I still don't know which of these was more surprising.

"He is not well," I told them seriously, but not in a doom and gloom way. They saw in my mind Jacob being sick in the bucket and both of them whimpered. Once we found one another, we ran side by side as they continued to bombard questions onto me and I continued to show or tell them what happened. By the time we reached La Push and were nearing Billy's home, they knew almost everything I did, including the fact that I allowed Dr Cullen to take my blood and lived to tell the tale. They were as impressed as I was and it was clear that they now only worried for Jacob's health, not the fact that he was residing with vampires.

Just before exiting the forest, I phased back into my human form, slid on my shorts and ran on two feet the rest of the way to Billy's house. The door was locked, which meant Billy was out. I moved around the house peering through the windows in the hope that someone was inside- I wanted to make sure I had access to the phone in case Dr Cullen rang; Billy didn't have a mobile. When I reached the living room window I saw someone lying down on the couch. Paul.

"Paul!" I yelled, tapping on the glass. He shifted on the lounge, almost falling off it, his mouth wide open as he continued to snore so loudly I could hear it through the window pane.

"Paul!" I yelled louder this time, hitting my fist gently, compared to what I was capable of, on the glass. "Wake up!"

This time, I saw one eye open a little. Seeing it was me, he leapt up and pointed towards the door, indicating that he would unlock it for me. I ran towards the front again, wondering if Billy asked Paul to stay at his place until he returned from lunch.

"Hey Sam, sorry," Paul said, in a not so genuine tone- he was never sorry for getting some sleep and most of us weren't- it was a precious commodity these days.

"No problem Paul, did Billy ask you to house sit?"

"Yeah, went out to lunch with Charlie," Paul told me, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Has the phone rung?"

"Nah- well I suppose it might have, but I doubt I would have heard it-"

"Definitely not with all that snoring," I teased, which resulted in Paul punching me rather hard on the shoulder. Of course, it didn't bother me.

"So how's Jacob?" Paul asked, a far more serious, almost disgusted look on his face.

I couldn't help but smile; all of us expected Jacob to be stressed, and the vampires to be agitated by his presence. The reality could not be further from the truth.

"He is unwell, vomited a few times while I was there," I commented casually, not wanting to make it a big deal, but of course, Paul made it big.

"He puked? None of us vomit anymore," Paul protested and I could tell he immediately blamed the vampires.

"I know. They believe it is because of Victoria's venom- it's affecting his system, his body is trying to get rid of it."

I could see Paul was getting fired up, there was a slight shake to his body; he wanted as many reasons as possible why Victoria should be killed; which of course she would be if we ever had the chance to tear her apart.

"Dr Cullen wanted to take a blood test to be certain," I finished and already I could see the reaction Paul would have to this desire of the doctor's. His body was now violently shaking.

"Does he think Jake's stupid?" he hissed, barely able to talk.

"Calm down Paul; the doctor's request although involving blood was not the first time Jake has had to trust him," I told my friend calmly. Paul was still breathing heavily, but his body was shaking only slightly- I felt there was no danger of him phasing now, so I continued: "He had already given Jacob a morphine drip, and apparently he has never tasted human blood."

"That's so bullshit; I can't believe you believed him!" Paul fired at me, clearly annoyed that that was my only evidence to trust Dr Cullen.

"It is no lie," I told Paul in the strongest, most authoritative voice I could muster. "Their leader cares too much for humans to kill them- he is a doctor who looks after _humans_ everyday."

"People make mistakes- slip up," Paul hissed at me, evidently pissed, though he would not dare try to phase, so did his best to keep his shaking under control.

"It is possible, but he didn't and neither did his wife-"

"Jacob let them- let them-" Paul was beyond speech, his face turning red with rage.

"No. I did."

Paul stared at me with an expression on his face I had never seen before. I couldn't tell whether he was more shocked or scared that I was so 'stupid'. Knowing that he would not be able to speak until I explained myself, his eyes almost popping with agitation, I continued.

"They do not know what wolf blood looks like, so to be able to identify the venom molecules, they needed to compare Jake's blood to 'normal' blood. I was resistant at first," I added, wanting Paul to know I didn't just hand over my arm the moment the vampires asked. "Jake also said no and when I left, he hadn't given his blood either, but without my blood, they wouldn't be able to help him- as his leader and brother, I felt I needed to do that- for him-"

"He could have snapped, killed you, drained you of blood! Did you ever think of that?" Paul spat in my face.

I stared straight back at him refusing to apologise for my actions; I knew I did the right thing- perhaps one had to be there to believe the reality I saw. But then, I took a step back; this was Paul and I knew Paul; he would not have been able to walk in that house no matter who was in there, except if he imprinted I suppose. Of all my brothers, he would be the most resistant to accepting that the Cullens were decent creatures.

"Of course I did," I snapped back at him. "But once I saw Jacob was safe and doing okay being in their presence, I wanted to be helpful. Dr Cullen and his wife talked me through the entire procedure and were appreciative of my control and assistance in the matter-"

"Were they also appreciative to you for telling the pack to keep Victoria away from Bella? We managed it the many months they had left Bella- depressed, lonely and completely lost in her own mind- don't pretend you didn't see it in Jacob's head! Then the moment they return Victoria gets her hands on one of our own; we should be protecting our pack not covering up for their mistakes!"  
>At this, I towered over Paul; his outburst had angered me, though I kept my head and stayed focused.<p>

"We protect all human life," I asserted through my teeth. "Whether the Cullens were in Forks or not, we still would have protected Bella and you know it."

I turned my head towards the front door; I could hear Billy approaching in his wheelchair.

"We'll discuss this later," I said in a low voice to Paul, who looked like he wanted to continue this argument outside where we had more space to fight, rather than talk it out. Paul refused to move.

"Billy is almost here," I said more urgently, not wanting Billy to know that some of the pack, namely Paul was concerned about the Cullens looking after Jacob- I didn't want him to turn against them when I knew Dr Cullen and even Edward were attentive to Jacob's needs and wanted to help him. Billy had to hear my side of the story before I could let him hear Paul's.

"Out- now!" I said to Paul, pushing him towards the back door.

Paul growled loudly in frustration, his hands clenched by his sides, then he turned and sprinted through the back door and into the forest. I saw him phase in the distance. I sighed- I must prepare myself to hear more attacks from him later- at least as a wolf I will have more control over him.

I quickly walked to the front door to let Billy in. I had never seen him enter his house so quickly. He rolled over the small step as if it were nothing and pushed his way passed me, evidently eager to get inside and close the door so I could tell him how his son was doing.

Billy parked himself in the dining area and rested his left elbow on the table as if he already needed the extra support. He looked up at me with his dark eyes. I could see the uncertainty in them as if he wasn't sure whether he wanted to hear what I had to say. I decided to relieve him from his misery.

"He's safe with them," I told Billy, certainty emanating from my voice and my entire being.

Billy seemed to relax a bit more and removed his left elbow from the table to rest his hand in his lap.

"Tell me everything."

I began from the beginning. I told Billy that Edward wasn't home when I arrived, but when he returned his family was eager for him to decide what to do about the vivid nightmare Jacob was having. I told Billy that his son was dreaming about becoming a vampire and had killed people to drink their blood. Billy was disgusted. I felt there was slightly more to the dream than what was being let on by Jake and even Edward. When I told Billy about Edward's ability to read minds, he stared at me as if he thought I was mad. I reinforced to my elder how important this 'gift' became with regard to Jacob's recovery and most especially, his dream. This made Edward one of, if not the best at looking after Jake's needs; Jake wouldn't even need to talk. Like most people, Billy immediately thought of the lack of privacy that comes with being in Edward's presence, rather than the benefits. I admit that I felt the same.

My description of the situation once Jacob woke up seemed deceptively simple, but it was rather complicated. I described to Billy the scene: Edward had sat himself on Jacob's bed, I was standing next to the head of the bed on the right, Carlisle on the left and Jasper and Alice behind.

No one spoke a word except for Edward and Jacob; we were too busy trying to keep track of what was happening given that Jake didn't always speak what he was thinking. I described as best I could the look on Edward's face, a pained, desperate look when he realised he wasn't able to help. The unnaturally still posture of Jasper as he watched Jacob and Edward with wide eyes, which I later realised was because he was distressed by Jacob's feelings of fear and helplessness.

I tried hard to do justice what Edward eventually managed to do with Jacob's confused and delusional state. The way Edward stared, his bright golden eyes boring into Jake's as he forced Jacob to touch his cold, pale chest to then contrast the absent heart with his own strong beating one. Jacob would never be a monster like him.

Billy's face then became one of sympathy and gratitude for Edward; like me, I could tell he believed that a true monster could never refer to themselves as a monster in the gentle, soothing tone Edward used. My elder was touched by Edward's words and the way he handled the situation with Jacob. He told me that he doubted any of us, being the pack, could have handled it better. The praise and respect in his deep tones were unmistakable. After this moment, I remembered how Edward's expression relaxed and changed when he saw that Jacob was accepting reality once more. As I was talking to Billy, I paused when I remembered how Edward looked shortly after this. Jacob hadn't said anything, yet I was sure he must've thought something to Edward. The vampire looked as if he was about to cry, but then remembering that they weren't capable of that, I thought it was a trick of my imagination. I tried to ask Jake what he said, but he refused to tell me. This interested Billy greatly; he wanted to know, as much as I did, what his son said to Edward.

But these suspicions were soon forgotten when I told Billy that Jacob vomited. As Jake told the Cullens, he had never been sick in his life, except perhaps when he was a baby. This worried Billy tremendously- he urged me to continue, and so I did.

"From what I could gather, Jacob felt sick after getting out of the shower. Edward must've heard his thoughts, told Jasper and Alice to open the door while he ran downstairs to get a bucket. He returned in more than enough time and sure enough, Jake vomited straight into the bucket which Edward was holding for him. He vomited twice more and then the bucket was replaced with an empty one. You should have seen them Billy," I said, unable to keep the awe out of my voice; while my brothers and I were strong and tall in human form, we were only fast because of these features, but vampires can move as fast as wolves without having to phase. I was slightly jealous. "Edward was there talking to Jake, comforting him with one hand and holding the bucket with the other. Jasper was there with his hand on Jacob's back-"

"Why?" Billy cut in and I couldn't believe I hadn't told him about Jasper's gift yet, which it truly was even though Jacob was resistant to its effects.

"I forgot to tell you, Jasper is able to sense the emotions of others and believe it or not, he can alter your feelings. He was trying to calm Jacob down."

"You're kidding me," Billy said as a statement, rather than a question, more in shock than actually asking me whether I was being honest; obviously he knew I wouldn't just make this up. "And you feel he is actually capable of this?"

"Yes, though Jacob did his best to resist- from what I could understand he was too distressed, his mind too closed off to being calm for Jasper's gift to take affect."  
>"Unbelievable…"<p>

I snorted. "Yeah I thought so too until he successfully made me calm, not that I needed his assistance of course, he just wanted to check that it was Jacob that was resistant to his gift, not the werewolf gene."

Billy stared and I saw an element of fear flash across his eyes. While we knew that vampires could be gifted, we thought it was rare. Yet with the Cullens, we now knew this was not the case- I knew Old Quil and the other members of the council will need to be updated. I decided, however hesitantly to enlighten Billy about the final gift in their coven- might as well have it all out in the open.

"Not that this is important to the story, but Alice, Jasper's partner also has a gift," I said a small smile of amusement on my face as I watched Billy stare at me in horror. I never realised until I entered their domain just how powerful they were- individually but also as a family.

"Prepare yourself," I warned Billy seriously because in my eyes, though I did not see it in action, Alice's gift had to be the most amazing of them all.

Billy gulped, probably unconsciously as he watched me like a hawk, waiting patiently for me to spill.

"Alice can see into the future," I told him. "But," I added before Billy started to fear that she knew everything about us. "She cannot 'see' werewolves. For example, when Edward found Jacob, Edward's future went dark and Alice panicked because she knew that meant he was with a werewolf. That's all I know about it though, but her gift is accurate," I explained to Billy who didn't seem to be breathing.

I gave him a minute to process what I had said; we thought we knew the Cullens, but they are so much more than blood drinking creatures.

"They are a highly gifted coven," Billy eventually murmured, lost in thought, no doubt wondering how this would affect the tribe. I didn't see that it should- though it was important to know these facts about them. Thankfully they were not threatening gifts- only to our privacy.

"Yes," I agreed. "But as a group they work remarkably well and very quickly. Without being asked, Alice began cleaning the bathroom floor where Jake had missed the bucket, Carlisle's wife Esme was running around cleaning buckets and returning them to Edward and Carlisle was organizing fresh sheets for Jacob's bed. I didn't have to do anything and never did I once think he was in danger from them. They were there to help; that was very clear."  
>Billy simply shook his head- I didn't know what he was expecting to have happened, but it definitely wasn't this.<p>

I went through briefly with Billy the theories devised by Carlisle and Edward that followed these vomiting episodes. Billy listened intently to each one, but was instantly aversed to finding the answer when I told him the doctor needed a blood test to support his idea. But not only did he need a sample from Jacob but from me as well.

"What did you do?" Billy asked me, eyes wide as he searched my arms for some indication as to whether I had the test or not. When he couldn't find any evidence, which if he were not so distressed, he would have realised there wouldn't be any due to my being a wolf, he turned straight back to my face, his eyes demanding an answer.

"I was resistant at first," I began. "But," I continued quickly, for I could see Billy was about to interrupt, "I realised that they wouldn't be able to determine for certain the progress of the venom without my blood. After Edward told me that Carlisle had never drank human blood before-"

"Impossible!"

"It's true. If you think about it, it makes sense. He cares for humans for a living- at least one hundred years if not more. He cares about people too much- why do you think anyone who joins his coven must drink animal blood? He must have chosen that path when he realised he couldn't drink a human's."  
>"From what I have heard, that must've taken an <em>immense <em>amount of control."

"I have no doubt, and he continues to display that- can you imagine the injuries, the amount of blood he would have seen in a hospital? Human blood doesn't even tempt him anymore…"

Again Billy was shaking his head and I understood his feelings; the idea that a vampire has never tasted a drop of human blood was extraordinary to us.

"I can't believe this."

"Neither could I, but for Jake's sake, I had to trust them- Carlisle and his wife Esme took me through the procedure. I watched them constantly, waiting for a sign of weakness when my blood was trickling into the tube," Billy winced. "But there was nothing. Carlisle was too focused on getting the job done and being careful- he could already tell I was anxious, and Esme was rubbing my shoulder and telling me I was a good job. If they smelt anything at all, it didn't distract them," I said with confidence.

Thirty seconds after I finished talking, the phone rang. I had a feeling that it would Dr Cullen calling to update us on Jake's progress. I was glad I was correct; I was eager to hear whether Jake had recovered from his vomiting episodes, because they were really difficult to watch, and no doubt, difficult for Jake to endure.

I would only hear Billy's side of the conversation, but I gathered that Jacob was sick a few more times, but it has since died down dramatically. As I had hoped, Jacob did eventually take the blood test and the doctor analysed it with my blood as a comparison. He concluded that there was not too much venom left in Jake's blood, but enough that his system considers it a threat as seen by the white blood cells attacking the venom. Dr Cullen was optimistic about Jake's recovery and felt it was safe for me and Billy to visit him tomorrow morning as planned.

Shortly after this, Billy said thank you to Carlisle and hung up the phone. He spun his wheelchair around so he could see me.

His face was one of disbelief.

"The Cullens must be decent creatures. Dr Cullen speaks as if Jacob is his patient, not a wolf who has evolved to fight and destroy vampires… I never would have believed this possible…"

"Neither would I."

Author's note: So what did you think of Sam's perspective, his interaction with Paul, and his and Billy's analysis about the Cullens? I hope you enjoyed hearing them say nice things about Edward and Carlisle, especially :) Please remember to spare just a few seconds to let me know your thoughts! I love, love, love comments! And votes too of course! I will post up the awaited Jacob/Edward reunion :P ie. chapter 11 on Tuesday. Thanks heaps for reading!


	12. Chapter 11 Apologies

Authors note: So here is the awaited Chapter 11 where Edward returns. I hope you will agree it was well worth waiting for :P, so I won't hold you up too much longer. Just a quick, though massive thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter! I love reading your thoughts and am delighted that so many of you feel that (for the most part) the plot and dialogue I have created are realistic to the Twilight Saga canon. Your compliments make my day, so thank you!

One final note: the second part of this chapter I honestly considered removing (all 5 pages), but then couldn't bring myself to do because it took me so long to write and I personally love the scene and the discoveries Jacob makes. However, I fear some of you will find it awkward (perhaps too awkward). Given this, I would really like to know what you think! Happy reading!

Response to reviews:

alphapup0909: I see Sam as being nice for the most part : ) I haven't read many fics with Sam in it, so I am surprised people normally portray him as being mean/harsh. I'm glad you like my Sam! I hope you enjoy this Jakeward time :P I would love to know whether this chapter was a bit much ;)

Sweetie7smiled: I totally agree, I think the Cullens work very hard to be liked and respected. I am glad you feel I have done them credit so far : ) And thank you, I am so glad you are loving my story!

Nicky1992: Thanks so much for reviewing! It's great to hear from you. Very happy you loved Sam's interaction with Paul. I have no plan of them actually having a heart to heart about the Cullens specifically, but Paul will eventually accept them ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Highfiveme: Thanks heaps for reviewing! Means lot! And sooo happy you love it I hope you continue to do so!

msjackson: Yes, the wolves are definitely learning more about the Cullens, and I most definitely feel Edward is caring for Jake as a member of his family- a friend if nothing else. I promise there will be some more Rosalie/Edward interaction, so I hope it will meet your standards! And I love Carlisle- he is so compassionate and a wonderful doctor/friend/father/mentor. Thanks heaps for reviewing! It was great to hear from you!

ibeebrookie87: Thank you so much for reviewing and making an account especially to do so, I really appreciate it! I loved reading your review- I am delighted my story is 5 stars and 10/10 in your eyes! Yay! Very pleased that you adore it- I hope you continue to do so. And I wondered whether 'Trust me' would be popular given Bella doesn't feature much in it. I can tell (at least from your perspective) that you like that the story revolves around someone else for a change I really appreciate your feedback! Thank you!

Eruhin: Yay! I'm so happy you liked it! I'm so happy you picked up on Jake's line re. his understanding that the Cullens didn't choose what they are, just like the wolves- I really wanted that to come across. Very happy you felt I did Paul justice and you liked how Billy was resigned to think the best of the Cullens. The reunion is finally here- I hope you like the chapter (my fingers are crossed that it meets your expectations!).

Trust me

Chapter 11- Apologies

Edward's POV

It was difficult to say goodbye to Bella; it was simply so peaceful at her place, and even though Charlie was around his thoughts were mostly mellow and rarely concerned me. Of course there was also the matter of missing Bella deeply- I hated being away from her, especially after everything we had been through, separately, over the past few months. It killed me (if that were possible) to see her frown and wrap her arms tightly around me as if she would never let go. But as Bella always does, she puts others before herself- she even said Jacob needed me far more than she did and if she forced me to stay that would be selfish. I told her she was being silly as I kissed her goodnight. Some five minutes later, I was able to pull myself away from her, though with great difficulty, I assure you. I reminded her to go to La Push at nine the following morning under the guise that she was visiting Jacob there (when Charlie heard the boy was ill, he granted Bella permission to visit him whenever she wanted). Billy and Sam will then bring her to my place so the three of them could visit Jacob, who I hoped would be better emotionally and physically by then. I then gave her one final kiss, my thumb stroking her jaw line. Once my lips were free, I told her I loved her more than my very existence and then leapt off her window sill into a nearby tree. I saw her head poking out through the window to watch me. I waved to her from the ground, blew her a kiss and then ran home.

When I arrived home, I approached the front door slower than I normally did, trying to listen for the thoughts of my family and Jacob. I could hear many things, from the rustling of the trees to the television blaring in the living room, to Jacob's breathing upstairs. His breathing was faster than normal. I looked at my watch and saw that it was still early- only three o'clock in the morning. I walked a little closer and without realizing, opened the door. So much of my concentration was focused on listening to Jacob's thoughts that I hardly noticed my surroundings as I entered the house. It was only then that I heard Alice's thoughts coming from Carlisle's office too. She was concerned for Jacob as she watched over him. Such thoughts were intermingled with annoyance as she was developing a headache from not being able to 'see' for two days. I moved towards the staircase, wanting to investigate Jacob's situation further; neither his thoughts nor Alice's provided any insight into the actual problem. I was about to mount the stairs when I heard Jasper speak to me. I followed his scent into the living room and found him sitting with Esme and Carlisle who were evidently in deep discussion. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed them until that moment- I suppose I was too concerned for Jacob…

"How is he?" I asked of my family, trying to keep the guilt out of my voice, though I couldn't quite manage it.

"I was able to examine his blood," Carlisle told me. "His white blood cells are attacking the venom- this is a good sign; it means our guess was correct."

I nodded. Carlisle continued: "Jacob vomits rarely now, though I am still reluctant to offer him any food, but Esme will prepare him some dinner for tomorrow. Hopefully he will be able to keep it down by then."

"Let's hope so," I said seriously. "I'm not sure how Billy and Bella will react when they see how much weight he has lost," I said, a little worried; perhaps we should have been feeding him through a drip.

"He will regain his strength soon enough," Carlisle reassured me, "he's a strong young man."

_Yes, this is true…_

Jacob was shifting in his sleep. I saw Alice concentrate on his movements, but she didn't do anything. I hoped to God it wasn't another nightmare. I tried to delve further, but there were no thoughts in Jacob's mind, just physical and mental restlessness. Jasper had noticed the disturbance too, and I was grateful that this encouraged him to quicken the 'catch me up to speed' talk.

"Carlisle updated Jacob's father regarding his progress. Jacob fell asleep shortly after. The four of us have been taking it in turns to watch over him, obviously it is Alice's turn now," he explained, looking briefly upwards as he wondered how Alice was going with Jacob's sleep disturbances. "He did wake up about an hour ago. He never said anything, but I knew he was wondering why you hadn't returned yet," Jasper said, looking at me but not in an accusing way. I knew I had been away a long time- longer than I had planned, but I felt I needed the break and the thoughts of my family indicated that they agreed with me. "We told him that you would be back before dark, but he was doubtful- he was feeling guilty," Jasper continued, looking at me significantly. He briefly showed me the conversation he had with Jacob regarding the memory he showed me of Bella. I cringed when I saw his thoughts- so Jasper now knew what passed between us…

It was Esme who interrupted me from my reverie. "But he is resting now," she said in a gentle, musical voice as she reached out to squeeze my hand. "How are you Edward?" Esme asked me in her motherly tone.

"Better," I told her and gave her a smile; I truly did feel better, my mind was much clearer now, though I suspected that wouldn't last long…

"We better check up on them," Jasper said to me quietly, his thoughts fully focused on Alice's discomfort and Jacob's distress.

"What's the matter?" Carlisle asked, suddenly in physician mode as he stood up and stared between myself and Jasper.

"Jacob's restless, has been for the last 15 minutes or so," I explained, looking at Carlisle though my focus was still with Jacob. "Alice is worried. We'll go up," I offered, knowing that Jasper was keen to be with his partner to ensure she was okay, which I knew she was, but of course, I couldn't deny him the desire to be with her.

"Let us know if you need anything," Esme said, her mouth now frowning slightly.

Jasper and I arrived in Carlisle's study in a small fraction of a second. Alice was relieved to see us, me because she was glad I was home whispering a "yay!" when she saw me and attacked me with one of her hugs. I hugged her back. Then she stood by Jasper's side, looking at him with wide eyes as if expecting him to come up with some sort of diagnosis as to what Jacob was feeling. I stood next to Jacob's head and watched his face. One moment it would be relaxed, then the next his eyes would tighten, or his lips would frown, or otherwise look quite detached, almost a blank expression. I watched these myriad of emotions but couldn't work out what they meant. After five seconds, I finally saw what I needed to see. It was not what I expected, but it did explain his feelings and his distress.

I stiffened upon seeing his thoughts, though only briefly, but enough for my siblings to notice.  
>"What is it?" Jasper asked, with a sense of urgency in his voice; evidently he also felt the increase in emotion Jacob experienced in that moment.<p>

I gave a grim smile. "Nothing to worry about," I told them. "I can take it from here."

Jasper looked as if he was about to argue, but then Alice grabbed his hand and stared at him with pleading eyes. I saw she wanted some alone time with Jasper.

"You both deserve a break," I told them seriously, wanting to help my sister along. "Thank you for watching Jacob for me and for your support," I said with great sincerity.

Although they are my family, I never expected either of them to be accepting of Jacob and the situation I placed them in. Yet even without me around, they still upheld the utmost respect for the werewolf and my wishes, and that meant more to me than I could say- I would have to find a way to repay them. I had never seen the softer side of Jasper, the side he portrayed when with Jacob, and Alice, who relies on her sight so often, to not have that for so many hours was a great loss to her, yet she made that sacrifice for me. The amount of time they had given to Jacob was enormous, though perhaps not in the context of 'forever', but nevertheless, their actions, their trust in me, and their patience made me feel honoured to call them my family.

"No problem."

"Glad to help," Alice said cheerfully, though I could see her head was still aching ever so slightly.

"Have a break," I told her and her thoughts told me she understood the message behind my words: 'get away from here so you can see again'.

I watched Jasper and Alice leave the study and run into the forest- good, I was glad Alice and Jasper were able to escape the effect Jacob had on their gifts.

I then turned my attention back to Jacob and felt my mouth frown in concern and in guilt.

Given what I saw, I thought it would be best for me to wake him from his rest- he wasn't deeply sleeping so interrupting it would not likely cause a problem. I went to gently rouse him until my eyes caught the light shining strangely on his skin- it was discoloured somehow… I gulped as I slowly pulled down the elastic collar of Jacob's shirt so I could see his right shoulder.

I stared. Gently I moved my fingers over the dark purple bruises that surrounded Jacob's collar bone. I allowed my pointer finger to stop on one mark and saw that it fitted perfectly- of course it did… I did this…

In disgust, I stopped staring and gently placed Jacob's shirt back to normal as if no one had touched it. Again I went to arouse Jacob from his sleep. I leaned slightly over Jacob's body and said his name quietly, but loud enough so that he could hear. Jacob shifted in his sleep. I spoke louder, however soothingly: "Jacob, wake up." This time Jacob moaned as he tossed among the sheets- apparently the sound of my voice was agitating him rather than having the effect I was hoping for. I now knew it was important he know it was my voice and not conjured up by his mind while he dreamt.

I placed my hand on Jacob's arm to encourage the boy to open his eyes. I wasn't sure whether it was my voice or the touch of my ice cold skin that woke Jacob up, but suddenly his eyes were open and his breathing was quick as if he had just woken from a terrible dream. He stared at me for a long time, his dark eyes reflecting the fact that he was surprised to see me. Jacob's thoughts were scattered- confused and still groggy. After a full two minutes, he sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes.

"I am sorry for waking you, Jacob," I told him gently, concerned he may not have appreciated my waking him. But I needn't have worried; Jacob interrupted me before I could continue.

"You came back," he stated, apparently not quite believing that I was sitting next to him.

"Of course I did," I told him simply. Then I began to smile a little, Jacob's restless dream still in my mind as I muttered emotively: "So stop blaming yourself; the guilt is preventing you from sleeping soundly."

_Yeah, easier said than done… _I saw that Jacob was studying me now, looking into my eyes, at my face. _You okay? _He asked in his mind, concerned that my answer would be in the negative.

"I feel much better, I promise. So now that you know this, try to get some more sleep," I told him seriously, hoping he would heed my advice and fall back to sleep again; he needed the rest. But of course, I knew Jacob better than to hope it would be that easy.

"I'm not tired," he told me in a voice I would have believed if I couldn't see how much his mind and body needed the rest.

"I'll still be here when you wake up," I reassured him gently, trying to push him carefully back under the covers. But he wasn't budging.

"I know that!" Jacob hissed, annoyed that I thought he was worried about me disappearing again. "I'm just not tired- I slept for most of the afternoon!" he protested.

"Jacob," I said gently, as I leaned forward to place my hands on his shoulders. However, before I even touched his skin, Jacob flinched away from me. At first his eyes were fearful, but then realizing what had happened, he was embarrassed as the memory from earlier that day infiltrated his mind. I watched all of this, my jaw tightly clenched as I rested my hands by my sides.

There was a moment's silence as guilt began to bite at me from the inside. Finally I blurted out: "Do they hurt?"

Knowing he couldn't hide the truth from me, Jacob gave me an honest "yes" but "only when someone touches them," he reassured me, as if that made what I did any better.

I hissed, angry with myself. Jacob was a little taken aback by my reaction; he didn't understand why I was making such a big deal about it, they were just bruises according to him. But that wasn't what was troubling me- it was what the bruises represented.

"I am so sorry for hurting you," I mumbled, looking Jacob in the eye, my left arm moving slowly towards Jacob's shoulder again- I hardly realised what I was doing. "I shouldn't have grabbed you so hard- it was unnecessary," I told him, my eyes tightening as I focused on how Jacob was reacting to my words and actions. Amongst his shock was also trust- he didn't move as my hand grew closer and closer to his shoulder. Finally my fingers found the cotton of Jacob's shirt. Gently I glided my fingers along where I knew they had made a purple trail earlier that day. Jacob watched me intently; he thought I was acting very strangely, but he didn't want to say anything because he could tell that this moment was an important one for me. My breathing hitched slightly when my thumb moved a portion of Jacob's shirt, revealing the mark my palm left- the worst of all of them. My body froze in shock at the damage I had done. My throat tightened and even though Jacob was demanding to know what I was doing- what I was thinking, I couldn't stop staring. My body stiffened in anticipation as I stared at Jacob's other shoulder not daring to meet his gaze.

Suddenly, I felt Jacob grab the wrist of my right hand. I watched as he lifted my arm, allowing my hand to rest gently on his left shoulder. I moved my thumb along his collar bone lost in thought, not quite believing the kind of creature I was only hours before- out of control and angry. But much to my surprise, Jacob no longer wanted or needed to know what I was thinking or what I was doing; he worked it out.

_I'm not afraid of you._

I looked at him then, surprised by his words, but touched by them at the same time.

"I'm so sorry," I told him again as I closed my eyes.

"Hey," he said sharply, a little annoyed, "this isn't your fault," Jacob insisted.

I took my hands off Jacob's shoulders and gently held his upper arms so I could lean further towards him, my head bowing forward until it was resting against his chest… I could feel his heart beating strong against my skull.

"It wasn't yours, Jacob; you were the vulnerable one- the sick one, it was my responsibility to look after you."

Jacob laughed a little despite the seriousness of what I said.

"And it should have been my responsibility not to torment those looking after me," he muttered. Now it was my turn to snort a laugh of derision.

"What did you say to me that I did not deserve?" I demanded, finding it unlikely he will be able to justify what I did to Bella- the state of depression I forced her into.

"Jasper told me what happened- why you left," Jacob answered, completely taking me by surprise. I lifted my head off his chest. I was confused as to why Jasper didn't think to mention this or Jacob's bruises to me, but perhaps he wanted me to discover these facts on my own. "Though I can't exactly blame him either…" Jacob continued as an afterthought.

I wondered what happened that initiated such a confession from my brother; he wasn't the type to tell anyone about his weakness for human blood- a fact that makes him a vampire after all.

"While his behaviour was the trigger, it was me, not him who forced our family to leave Forks," I pointed out, self-anger evident in my tone.

Jacob took a deep breath; he realised that I was not going to accept his forgiveness easily, though I couldn't quite understand why he cared…

"You were trying to protect her," he told me as if it was the most obvious thing someone would do for the person they loved. "I- I felt the same way when I found out I was a wolf," he admitted hurriedly, not quite certain if he wanted to empathise with me just yet. But his confession made me a feel a bit lighter, physically and emotionally.

"You love her," Jacob said simply. "The way your face changed…" Jacob shuddered as he remembered the way I looked at him when he showed me the memory of Bella, "when I showed you how much she suffered… I knew then that you only left because you love her." Seeing those images again, I removed my hands from Jacob's arms and rested my head in them as I focused on Jacob's voice to distract myself from the guilt and pain I felt.

"I knew those memories would hurt you," Jacob continued, now feeling guilty himself. "But by then I was beyond caring- I was just sick of all of it: the spew, my fear, your _help_," Jacob spat, averting his eyes from my bowed head to stare out the window. "While I was in the shower, before all the vomiting started, I was thinking about Bella, and how I could never understand what it was about the precious Cullens she loved so much. But suddenly I found myself beginning to understand. Then I threw up my food, made a terrible mess, your family was running around after me, and I feared my problems were becoming too difficult for you to handle- that you'd all just give up and send me away. By the end, I was finding it impossible to be calm; all I could think about was-" Jacob broke off, returning his eyes to my face as I looked up from my arms, braving eye-contact with him. I looked up because I saw the end of his thought and I was touched by it. Jacob gulped; he knew this was my reason for staring, but despite how embarrassed he felt, he knew he needed to finish his apology.

"-was what it would feel like- what I would do if you gave up on me and walked away. Without realizing it at the time, I reasoned with myself that if you were to leave, I wanted to have control over it- to be the cause of it so I wouldn't feel so abandoned. But I was wrong; the loss I felt was magnified _because _I was the cause of your pain. The moment I realized you would not return, I wished you had, just so I could take back what I did and show you how grateful I am to be here, because as hard as it is for me to trust you…" Jacob swallowed, his voice now wavering with emotion. "No one can look after me as well as you do." I was shocked to see Jacob's eyes swimming in tears. "So," he said, sniffing, trying to force a grin on to his face to lighten the mood, and the intense emotions he was feeling, "_I _am sorry; I never should have hurt you like that. I didn't want you to leave, I was just pissed off and scared."

I watched in wonder and surprise as Jacob stared at me, waiting for me to respond and then, when he thought I wouldn't, he shifted awkwardly, multiple thoughts entering his head, the loudest one being: _I can't believe I just said that, _as he brushed aside a tear from his cheek.

Touched by his emotion, I whispered: "I forgive you."

Jacob nodded acknowledging my words to then reciprocate them. "I forgive you too."

"Thank you."

"I'll uh, try to keep my thoughts a bit quieter, and I'll try not to aim them at you."  
>"That would be nice," I told him, a smile curling my lips.<p>

There was an awkward silence that followed. I started bustling around Jacob's bed, filling up his water, and making sure he was comfortable, just for something do it; I knew he was thankful for it because it gave him time to compose himself.

I was facing the window, staring out into the forest wondering what Bella might be doing, when I heard Jacob shift in his bed as he sat more upright. I turned around wondering whether he was about to be sick, but instead I was confronted by a very different thought:

_You were thirsty the night you found me._

It was a statement, not a question. I froze, waiting for an explanation as to how he gathered this information.

_I asked Carlisle why your eyes were black; he told me you hadn't fed in six weeks._

I listened intently to Jacob's other thoughts- I found it difficult to determine whether he was more shocked or disturbed by this realization.

_How did you not kill me? _Jacob asked hesitantly, not sure if he wanted to know how close I was to draining him of life.

I forced myself to move away from the window to sit on the other side of his bed. Jacob was watching me closely, his eyes wide in anticipation.

"Your blood doesn't taste very good," I reminded him, a slight grimace playing on my face.

"Yeah, you told me that, but Carlisle said that 'blood is still blood'," he recited, as I saw a brief replay of his conversation with my father.

"He is right, of course," I allowed, but then paused a second before continuing, because I needed to consider how I was able to _stop _drinking Jacob's blood once I had started. At the time, I was surprised by my own self-control, but naturally, it was not something I thought much about; Jacob's well-being was of greater importance and far more urgent.

"I suppose the strange scent in your blood reminded me that this was not one of my usual feeds, but an attempt to save a member of the Quilette Tribe, who we formed a Treaty with many decades ago," I reasoned with myself.

"There wasn't anything in the Treaty that forces you to save our lives," Jacob asserted; clearly my response was not enough to convince the boy.

"True," I allowed, "but your scent was always a reminder that I wasn't hunting- a very important distinction for me to make, especially when I am thirsty."

"Well I guess I should be glad I stink then," Jacob replied, a grin on his face.

"Yes," I acknowledged. "Although I was extremely thirsty, it was not difficult for me to pull away- I have experienced far greater temptations."

The moment I spoke, I froze with anticipation, knowing I had said too much. Jacob's mind was racing as he pieced together the meaning behind my words. I turned away from him, unable to look him in the eye when he finally worked out what I meant.

"Bella," he said flatly.

I refused to answer him; the memory of that moment- the moment when I struggled to stop drinking Bella's blood after James had bitten her still haunted me; I could have killed her.

"What?" Jacob persisted, his tone still monotonous, but louder now as he reached out to grab my arm. Of course, he was not physically able to move me, but I gave in to his pressure as I turned to face him. "Don't tell me you've had an experience like Jasper did?" he accused me.

I shook my head, not daring to say what was going through my mind: _It was worse._

"Then what? Don't think you're going to get to keep this a secret!" Jacob yelled. I heard Carlisle and Esme stir downstairs; they knew Jacob was getting angry and wondered if they could help.

"We're okay for the moment," I said, loud enough for them, and obviously Jacob to hear.

"Yeah, for now," Jacob scoffed, becoming impatient with my silence.

I sighed.

"Somehow, I don't think you will be able to accept my story as easily as you did Jasper's," I told him bluntly.

"Well we're not going to know if you don't give me the chance!" Jacob defended himself, and I could see in his mind that he intended to listen and would remain calm to the best of his ability. After everything I had done for him, he wasn't about to revert back to his old opinion of me, unless I gave him substantial evidence to do so.

"Every human has a different smell: their blood may smell sweeter than others, or smell like particular 'flavours'." Jacob cringed when he realized how easily I was able to align people with food. "Sometimes vampires may find a human who has an irresistible scent, where we cannot help but hunt and kill them- almost like a favourite, however unique meal. Vampires call such humans 'singers'."

Jacob's nose was wrinkled in disgust.

"And in rare cases, vampires can be stupid enough to fall in love with the human whose blood 'sings' to them-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Jacob interrupted me. "Bella's scent is irresistible to you? How can you love someone you want to kill?" Jacob accused me, his body shaking slightly.

"Calm down, Jacob," I whispered calmly. "Please let me finish."

Jacob took a couple of deep breaths, which helped him relax, though his arms were crossed in front of his chest.

"The pain of losing Bella would far out weigh any satisfaction I may gain in drinking her blood-"

"But you have tasted her blood! You told me you sucked the venom out of the bite that vampire gave her!"

"You are correct," I acknowledged, meeting the boys eyes to soon find myself faltering under his intense gaze, guilt and shame taking over me.

I knew Jacob was watching me intently, and in his mind, he was putting two and two together, it was only a matter of time before he'd work it out.

I removed myself from his bed, just as he made the realization.  
>"But she is alive…" Jacob said out loud, more to himself than to me. "So you must've stopped," he prompted me as if daring me to deny it.<p>

"Of course, I stopped," I snapped at him, my back facing his bed. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the memory of Carlisle's thoughts, constantly reminding me to drink only until her blood tasted clean.

"Then what's the problem?" Jacob fired back.

"I almost didn't," I hissed.

Jacob stared at me, the colour draining from his face.

"What do you mean?"  
>"What do you think I mean?" I shouted at him- why in God's name I had to open my mouth to begin with, I would never know.<p>

Having realised I was feeling angry, though upset would have been a more accurate analysis, Jacob didn't answer me for some time.

Eventually he dared to speak through his thoughts in the hope I would find his words more calming this way. Already he was making valiant efforts not to strain my mind any more than was necessary. So, staring directly into my eyes, he told me:

_But you did stop; your love for her made you stop. If there's one thing I've learnt since being here, it's that you can control your thirst… if you know you have to. _And in saying this, I knew Jacob was referring to my own experience with him as well as with Bella.

Of course, I couldn't agree with him more, but at that moment, I was rendered speechless. How is it that the boy could be so stubborn, and yet highly perceptive at the same time?

_Not saying that you love me or anything, _Jacob added quickly, thinking that maybe that's why I had a peculiar smile on my face.

I chuckled, appreciating the boy's sense of humour at a time like this- it allowed me to snap out of my wallowing state.

"The important thing is she is alive because of you, or at least, she is for now," he added, knowing how much Bella wanted to be turned. "And you helped me too, so I'm glad you decided to take the risk with Bella and with me. I'll just remember in future not to bleed around vampires with black eyes."

I gave Jacob an appreciative smile. "Those with red irises aren't too friendly either," I reminded him, knowing full well he hadn't truly forgotten.

"Sure, sure."

In the silence that followed, I heard Jacob's stomach growl- he was hungry.

"Hmm, probably shouldn't risk it," Jacob said more to himself than to me. Then he lowered himself onto his back and under the covers. But he was not lying down for a second, before he sat back up and looked around the room.

"Do you guys have an air-con in here? I feel hot," he told me and indeed I could tell he was uncomfortably so.

"Of course, I'll put it on now," but before I could move, I heard the air-conditioner switch on and knew that Esme had flitted up the stairs and turned it on for me. "It was Esme," I explained to Jacob before he could ask how it turned on without me doing anything.

"I figured it was someone listening in on our conversation," Jacob teased as he slid back into bed. I was a little concerned that his shirt was sticking to him- it happened so suddenly. I stood next to Jacob's head as I watched him drift off to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jacob's POV

It was dark outside when the heat woke me up.

_Did Esme really turn on the air-con? It still feels like a sauna in here. _

I started kicking the sheets off me, my legs getting tied up in them. I grunted in frustration as I tore them out from under the mattress and threw them on the floor. I wiped the sweat off my face and went to wipe the residue on my shorts when I realised that they were soaked too. At first I thought the worst had happened and I had wet my pants in the middle of the night, but then I realised that my entire body was sweating like crazy. Sweat was on my arms, legs- everywhere! I had never felt so hot, so disgustingly warm in my entire life. I spread out as best I could on the bed so that I was as cool as I could possibly be. Perhaps Esme set the air-con to heat instead of cool? Did vampires even need to stay at a certain temperature? Whether in the desert or in the artic I bet they would survive- they probably haven't realized I'm being boiled alive up here. I turned my head to look around the room, the rest of me lying still on the mattress. I couldn't see Edward anywhere- must be downstairs with his family. Surely he would've heard my thoughts by now? Oh whatever, it didn't matter, I was hot- I'd get cooler eventually- no big deal.

I tried to fall back to sleep but I couldn't. Everything began to agitate me. I felt a little itch on my shoulder. I couldn't be bothered to move; I didn't want to create any extra heat. But eventually I slapped my shoulder with my palm in the hope it would eliminate the itch, but instead I swore in pain when I hit one of my bruises. I still couldn't believe they hadn't healed yet. Then my fringe started slipping down over my eyelashes and whenever I blinked my too long hair would poke my eyes. After moving it away from my eyes for what felt like the hundredth time I just wanted to yank all my hair out. God why did everything have to be so annoying? And where the hell was Edward? Up to that moment I had simply thought my thoughts as if I didn't know anyone could hear them, but I had had enough of that now.

_Hey Edward, _I thought loudly. _Turn the bloody air-con up will you? _I barked at him. Immediately I could hear movement downstairs and a second later Edward was by my side with a thin glass tube in his hand. I couldn't feel the room getting any colder except for the slight chill of Edward's skin near mine… he hadn't listened to me.

Edward held the little glass tube towards me and asked if I knew what it was.

Of course I didn't- never been sick in my life and I bet he was going to use it on me. Didn't he get it? All I needed was the air-con to be on a higher setting and a cooler temperature.

"This is called a thermometer," Edward told me, ignoring my other thoughts. I had heard of those, but I had only heard about ones put in ears and other places- I had never seen the glass tube ones before. "Please open your mouth so I can put this under your tongue," he continued, not bothering to explain what it was for even though he knew I didn't know.

_Why? _I demanded.

"I believe you have a fever," he told me gently.

_Why would I have a fever? _I asked. I thought his idea was stupid; I didn't have the flu or anything.

"It takes energy and nutritional resources for your body to maintain your immune system. Remember when Carlisle told you that the venom was being attacked by your white blood cells?"

_Yeah, get on with it, _I thought impatiently.

"Your body is still fighting- which is good- but Carlisle feels that due to not having any food for a couple of days, your body is struggling to maintain its defense; it is so fixated on fighting that it is neglecting other important things, such as keeping your body temperature stable. We believe that is why you have a fever," Edward explained.

_So why don't you just turn up the air-con more? Or chuck ice on me? I could have a cold shower? _I suggested several options, but Edward shook his head, a frown forming on his face.

"Let me take your temperature first," Edward insisted, "then we'll talk about strategies."

By this stage I was dripping in perspiration- hot, sticky and bothered. It annoyed me that these vampires always wanted to test their theories rather than assuming they're right- they should know by now that they always are.

I thought I saw a flicker of a smile appear on Edward's lips as he heard my thoughts, but he didn't comment. Instead, he asked me to open my mouth and put the thermometer under my tongue. I was sticking to the under sheet as I sat up in the bed, snatching my arms away whenever they got stuck. I then grabbed the thermometer from Edward's outstretched hand, opened my mouth and placed it haphazardly under my tongue. Closing my mouth, I sat there and waited, figuring that Edward would tell me when I could remove it.

As I waited I wondered why Carlisle wasn't here explaining all of this to me and why Jasper wasn't there to calm me down. Could Jasper make me feel cooler? I wasn't sure. Had they just given up on the several problems that seemed to follow me everywhere? One thing, after another, after another… Victoria's venom never seemed to give me a break! Just when things settle down, something else makes me feel like shit.

This had to stop. I hated this. I couldn't take it anymore.

I went to wrench the thermometer from my mouth as an overwhelming feeling of sadness took over; I didn't want to break the thing if I suddenly did something pathetic like cry. But Edward stopped me from removing it. My thumb and pointer fingers were around the end of the glass tube ready to pull when I felt his freezing hand (which felt colder to me in this state than when my body temperature was normal) wrap gently over mine. I looked up in surprise and saw his wide golden eyes staring at me. He looked… sad.

But instead of explaining his feelings or addressing mine, he said:

"Once you remove the thermometer, tell me what your temperature is and then you can hand it back to me. I cannot touch it because it will affect the reading. Then we can compare your current temperature to what it should be. Do you know what that is?"

_102._

Edward nodded. "Okay, you can take the thermometer out now," he said gently as he removed his hand from mine.

I slowly pulled the thermometer out and searched for the thin line of red. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward disappear downstairs, but he returned a second later with a huge glass of water, presumably for me to drink- I was probably dehydrating- it wouldn't surprise me.

Edward saw in my mind what the reading was, so I didn't need to say it out loud. Edward almost snatched the thermometer out of my hand when I saw the red line reach: _106 _and then shoved the water in front of me. I was really thirsty, though I hadn't realised until then that this was the case. I drank the entire glass- it could've been a vase- in one, after which Edward took it off me.

"How do you feel?" he asked somewhat apprehensively and a little on edge.

The drink made me feel a bit better, but I was still sweating and uncomfortably hot. I tried again to reason with him, suggesting easy ways I could think of to make me cooler. But Edward was already shaking his head.

_Why not? _I demanded.

"Your fever is serious," he emphasised. "Your core body temperature needs to be reduced _now_," he explained almost dangerously, his eyes locked on mine.

"Ice?" I suggested. "A cold shower?" I persisted. Surely one of these would work.

"The ice would melt soon after touching you and a shower is only a temporary solution," Edward rebutted as if he were talking to a child.

"Well there has to be something!" I hissed through my teeth, the anger making me feel even hotter. I began breathing heavily, like I normally do when I become furious. But this wasn't a precursor to phasing; it was a combination of frustration at Edward and agitation caused by heat.

Before I saw what was happening, I felt something freezing shock my body. I looked down and saw Edward's palm on my chest. If his hand was cold now, I could only imagine how it would feel against my bare skin. After the initial shock however, I started to feel a little better. Within ten seconds, my heart rate had slowed slightly and I wasn't sweating as much, but my arms and legs were still uncomfortably warm. Edward's skin always stayed cold, but after only two minutes, my body became used to his touch, but it was better than nothing. After a while I was becoming self conscious- Edward's hand must be wet with my sweat. Amazingly he didn't seem to care or notice. Suddenly, Edward's hand was gone and replaced with the heat from before- I couldn't believe how quickly the fever was able to take over.

Apparently Edward had come to some resolution in the two minutes his hand was resting over my heart. He moved so quickly around the room, I could hardly see him, the only thing I heard was: "Take off your shirt."

And I thought I was the one going mad.

"Now!" he ordered in a dangerous voice. I slowly pulled Emmett's T-shirt over my head and threw it to the end of the bed. Edward was now standing next to my bed as he placed the same vase-like glass filled with water on the bed side. There was a pile of blankets on the other bedside table. I had no idea what we needed them for. The thermometer was next to my water as was a damp cloth which I assumed was sitting in a bowl of cold water. But I hardly noticed any of this; Edward was not wearing a shirt either and the look on his face was hard and contemplative. I instantly saw his plan and I was not accepting it.

_No way in hell! _I told him and I saw him cringe a little as my thought must have deafened him.

"Four degrees above your average body temperature is dangerous, Jacob," he told me sternly. "It needs to be reduced now; my hand was helpful- it made you feel cooler, but not completely- this is the solution- this will work," he insisted as if his life depended on convincing me he was right.

_I don't care if it does, _I told him scathingly. _There has to be another way._

Edward didn't respond. I watched him stand there as still as a statue- not moving except for his eyes which I felt were almost popping in frustration. After thinking about other possible options just so he wouldn't have to endure this beyond awkward situation with me, Edward eventually said: "Try this and if it doesn't work or you feel uncomfortable-"

"Oh trust me, nothing could be more uncomfortable than that," I interrupted and showed him an image of how I imagined the next few hours would go. Lying next to Edward with his bare chest touching mine made me feel sick- I was not kidding.

"Would you prefer to stay boiling hot?" he fired back. "Carlisle feels you will be delirious within the next hour if we don't reduce your body temperature. This is the fastest way!"

"But not the easiest!" I yelled at him.

Edward offered me another drink, which I took in spite of myself. Whilst I was sculling multiple gulps of water, Edward said in a calmer voice: "This is not easy for me either, Jacob. But I know it will work; the sooner your body gets back to normal, the sooner the fever will end. Then you will be able to get some good rest before Bella, Sam and your father arrive tomorrow morning."

I put my glass down.

I grabbed the towel I used this morning when I had a shower and wiped my chest, arms and legs free of perspiration. I chucked it unceremoniously to the floor and took a deep breath. I could feel Edward's cool breath on my face, and it annoyed me that I welcomed it.

"If I do this," I began to bargain. "No one except for those who can hear can know about it. And if I want you to- to get away, you will."

"I promise."

I moved over in the bed so Edward could lie next to me. I was thankful that his scent didn't bother me- I still couldn't explain why that was- as he moved closer and closer. I held my breath in apprehension, but already I could feel the iciness from his body as if the cold evaporated off his skin and onto mine. The coolness was almost addictive, but I couldn't escape the fact that the person lying next to me was a vampire, someone I hated a few days ago, and my rival for winning Bella's heart. Not to mention that neither of us were wearing shirts. I may have found this humourous if it wasn't so damn confronting.

"Pretend I am a very cold statue," Edward suggested, though I could tell by the musical ring in his voice that he knew that I could never be such a good pretender.

_Yeah right, _I retorted.

By this stage I was unable to look at him any longer, so I shifted onto my back and stared at the ceiling instead. Edward was on his side watching me. Already his proximity was reducing my fever- I could feel it- this was all he needed to do. But as if to emphasise how untrue my hope was, Edward gently placed his hand on my chest again. I gasped due to the coldness which, as I thought, was much more intense without a shirt on.

I felt Edward's hand putting pressure on my back to turn towards him. I did, however reluctantly. He wiped a bead of sweat of my forehead and then placed that hand on my back. We were now so close our bodies were almost touching. My heart was pounding, I couldn't bring myself to do anything except stare.

"Close your eyes," Edward whispered.

I did.

All of my other senses were attuned to what Edward was doing. He closed the gap between us and wrapped his arms gently around my torso, his chin poised above my head, but not resting on it. All I could do was lie there and think about what was happening: Edward's skin moving against mine as we breathed. If I looked ahead all I could see was his pale white chest. No, this is too much.

"I can't do this," I told Edward speaking at his chest which felt really stupid. "There has to be a better way- where is Jasper and Carlisle?" I demanded of him; surely they would have a better plan than this- this was ridiculous.

"You don't need them," Edward told me gently, his voice almost like a song.

"Don't try to soothe me with your voice; it isn't going to work!" I objected. "What?" I demanded when Edward didn't reply, "are they sick of me?"

"No," Edward told me seriously, his voice no longer sounding melodious. "Carlisle has been telling me what to do; I can hear his thoughts. And Jasper is downstairs, but you do not need him."

_I can't believe this was Carlisle's idea._

"If you would prefer another one of us to lie here-"

"No- I- I can't do this," I insisted. I tried to put my hands in between Edward and me, but I couldn't; he was holding me too tightly.

"Let go of me!" I yelled at him, trying to push him off me by grabbing his shoulders- he really did feel like stone.

"Jacob-"

"You told me that if I didn't like it, you would stop!" I accused him, my voice getting louder and louder the longer he refused to listen to me. "You promised!" I screamed.

"Calm your thoughts Jacob," Edward replied, not making any attempt to grant me my wish.

"You want me to be calm? I'm not even going to be able to sleep like this- I can't relax- I feel-"

"Vulnerable?" Edward suggested in such a way that gave me the impression he felt similarly.

Vulnerable? I cringed at the word, it sounded so weak and pathetic.

"It's okay to feel vulnerable," Edward whispered. "I feel that way too, but this is important so try to trust me."

I fidgeted in his arms with emotional discomfort, though mine remained stock still by my sides.

"I'm not expecting your body to calm down, only your mind. Close your eyes and tell me how your fever is affecting you."

"It won't work."

"Trust me," Edward breathed as he shifted his position slightly so he could rub my back.

I tried to do as he asked. It took a while, but eventually I paid attention to my body. Every part in contact with Edward's skin felt normal now. My arms and legs were not encompassed in the hold Edward had around me, but I knew that in time the coolness of Edward's skin would reach them. To my chagrin, I felt better physically, but emotionally and psychologically this was still beyond weird.

Encouraged by my change in attitude and by the fact that it was working, Edward slowly moved his arm towards the back of my neck and then gently pulled my head towards his chest. I didn't see the point in having my nose and forehead butted up against his chest, but apparently that wasn't his intention.

"Turn your head sideways," he encouraged. "It will cool your face faster," he explained.

I did as he said. Normally whenever I put my ear to another person I could hear their heartbeat, or if not, then something else. I should have expected it, but I was shocked when I heard nothing coming from Edward.

_It's freaky that I can't hear your heart beat._

"That's because I don't have one," Edward pointed out. By the tone in his voice I could tell he was trying to be humorous, but it wasn't funny. It felt eerie knowing that this creature had spent the last two days looking after me, but he had no heart- he was dead. Well whatever; his heart may not beat, but I couldn't accept he didn't have one at all…

I continued thinking in this way which allowed me to take a couple of deep breaths. Eventually I felt myself relax. Edward's scent filled my nostrils and it didn't bother me at all- in fact it calmed me down. I kept my eyes shut as I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

"If you begin to feel cold, tell me straight away," Edward whispered and I could tell he was smiling.

I moved my head up and down so he knew I heard.

"Goodnight Jacob."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note: So what did you think of Edward and Jacob's reunion, and Jake's assertion that no one can look after him as well as Edward does? I think it is a realization he would have made while Edward was absent, and I wanted him to say as much to Edward because I believe wholeheartedly that it's true And what about the last sequence from Jacob's perspective? What did you think about the fever? I had to do it (I don't know why); the idea just came to me one day and I had to add it in. I almost wanted to remind you guys that this isn't a slash fic lol! I found it really personal to write because I could really feel how awkward and vulnerable both of them would feel in such a situation. I hope you will forgive me for giving Jacob a fever (when normally it is a first sign of illness) and other inconsistencies- I am happy to make these sacrifices for an interesting, emotionally intense chapter! So I hope you enjoyed it! Would love to hear your thoughts! The next chapter will involve a visit from Billy, Sam and Bella :) I will post it up on Saturday. Until then, thank you, you're all amazing!


	13. Chapter 12 Family and Friends

Author's note: Thank you SO much to everyone who has reviewed this story and for adding it to their favourites/alert lists, I feel honoured that you are taking the time to read my fic; it really means a lot to me! A special welcome to all the new reviewers and readers- the previous chapter evidently gave some of you the desire to leave me a review! Yay! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter- we get to see a bit more of Billy and Bella here (and Sam and Edward too). Let me know what you think!

Response to reviews:

ibeebrookie87: Thanks so much for reviewing! It was great to hear from you :) I'm so happy you found it cute (though definitely intense), and am even more delighted to hear that you love my story! Thank you! I hope you enjoy this one :)

Nicky1992: Haha, hoped that people wouldn't mind the fever and the awkwardness if it meant that Edward and Jake become closer! So glad you agree! Thank you for your feedback!

alphapup0909: Lol they are definitely cute together and Jake is definitely becoming more gentle with regard to Edward, but remember, this is not a slash fic :P But of course, an 'in the moment' kiss would be hilarious!

1sweetmoment: Wow, just wow. I read your review over and over, it made me SO happy! You understand the relationship between Jake and Edward so well- it is exactly how I see them and want to portray them! I was so excited by your review that I actually read it to my family (who have not read this story and don't know much about Twilight) and they could tell you were giving me huge compliments! In particular, I loved how you picked up on Jake's apology- you are so right, he did not want to be abandoned, and I am delighted that it touched you (as it touched me when I thought of it) because I think it would be true. With all of the stories I write, there is emotional intensity between characters, so I am used to writing awkward, powerful moments! But thank you for being in awe of how I could write SUCH an awkward moment between Jacob and Edward :) You always give such in-depth reviews, and I just want to say that you are an amazing audience, reader, analyzer and more than anything, a deep understanding of human nature! Thank you sooooo much!

rawemotional: Thank you so much for your review! It was great to hear from you :) I'm glad to hear you liked the awkward scene. I can tell you that their relationship will be one of friendship (not slash, if you were wondering :P). Thanks heaps for all your compliments; they mean a lot!

Jaruto: Haha, yes definitely very sauna-like. No I didn't know saunas are from Finland! Hehe, thanks for reviewing!

Eruhin: I'm so happy the wait was worth it and that each sentence kept you interested until the end :) Writing emotionally intense moments is like my specialty :P so I spend a lot of time writing and imaging them so they appear as realistic as possible. The "I'm not afraid of you", and Jake's explanation of why he provoked Edward were two of my favourite parts to write, so I'm delighted you approve and find them realistic! I am so happy you loved the second part! I am honoured that you felt I wrote it well, especially keeping it in character which is always important to me. And I LOVED reading how much you like the way I write Edward- seriously, it's an amazing compliment, so thank you! There is (as I said in the author note) a bit of Bella in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for your review! I'm so glad the previous one was your favourite, it's one of mine too!

Sean24: Thanks so much for your review! Lol, no it's not slash, but I'm okay with you thinking it is if you want :P I always love writing emotional scenes where people become true friends, and are honest with one another. I'm so happy you enjoyed the deeply personal, cute heart stuff!

Trust me

Chapter 12- Family and friends

Jacob's POV

The following morning I felt much better. The moment I woke up, Edward took my temperature again. Thankfully my fever was over, I was back to my usual 102, and I had about half an hour to kill before my visitors were due to arrive. Edward gave me a towel which I took to mean he thought I should have a shower, and I tended to agree; my skin was sticky. It felt good to have a shower and wash off all the dried sweat. Today was the best I'd felt since coming to the Cullen's, but I was starving- I hadn't eaten anything in almost three days. I felt revitalized as the water streamed down my body. As I stood there, I tried to remember what happened the night before.

I woke up in the middle of the night feeling cold. The moment the thought entered my head, Edward carefully took his arms away from around my torso and gently got off my bed trying his best not to disturb me. He didn't need to bother though; I was already awake. Edward chucked me a clean shirt, which I put on immediately. He then started unfolding the pile of blankets sitting on the bedside and threw them onto me. After placing three carefully around me and tucking them into the bed, I fell back to sleep almost immediately. I suspect that maybe Jasper had been watching over me at one stage because when I woke up only one blanket was on my bed; Jasper may have been able to detect when I was becoming warm and removed them accordingly. I would have to ask later.

When I had finished my shower I returned to my bed just as Edward walked through the door smiling.

"How do you feel?" he asked me, knowing perfectly well what the answer was.

I still wasn't able to look him in the eye without remembering what happened the night before. He promised me it would stay between the two of us- it better.

"Better," I told him honestly, though the memory of last night was still difficult to think about, especially when it was daylight and the fever was gone.

Edward thankfully decided to ignore my thoughts.

"Bella, your father and Sam are almost here. When they arrive, I will leave you all to talk. My family and I will be downstairs if you need anything," Edward told me graciously, suddenly becoming the host of the house.

"Thanks," I replied as I sat on my bed and took a couple of gulps from the glass on the bedside table.

Two minutes later I heard Carlisle and Esme greeting Bella, Sam and Dad at the door. Edward moved towards the entry of the study to greet them. It was so ridiculously formal, but I suppose that was what these vampires were used to- sometimes I forgot how old they were.

"Jacob," Dad eagerly greeted me, clearly happy to see me alive and well.

"Hey Dad," I returned, a huge smile spreading across my face; I really missed him.

When Sam had pushed Dad closer to me, I stood up and shook his hand and gave him a one armed hug. Sam clapped me on the shoulder and said: "It's good to see you." I couldn't agree more.

I saw out of the corner of my eye that Edward and Bella standing at the door. They were hugging, Edward kissing the top of Bella's head.

"I'll be downstairs," Edward whispered to her. I saw Bella's lips pout in protest, but Edward merely gave her an apologetic smile and added: "We can be together later," he promised her, then left her presence. It only took Bella a couple of seconds before she entered the room, her eyes bright and cheerful. But there was another part of her that looked anxious and cautious. The last time we saw one another wasn't exactly what I would call pleasant.

"Hey Jake," she said coming over to give me a hug.

"Hey Bells," I said into her hair as I smelt her sweet scent which was mixed in with a tinge of 'Edward'.

Bella and Sam pulled up chairs and sat around me. It felt kind of weird having them sit so much lower than me. All three of them were looking me up and down.

"What?" I asked a little paranoid by their staring.

"You've lost a lot of weight," my dad told me, evidently concerned.

"Yeah, well," I tried to brush it off, "I haven't been able to eat properly because I've been throwing up."

"Once he begins to eat again, I am sure he will gain it back," Sam reassured Billy, though I could tell he was worried that the lack of nutrients may affect my performance in the pack.

"I'll be fine," I reassured them all. "It'll take me a day to put it all back on, including the muscle," I asserted, flexing my biceps to discover that they were not as impressive as before- probably because I hadn't phased in so long. I tried not to let this affect my ego so I changed the subject.

"How did you get up the stairs?" I asked my father who was sitting in his wheelchair.

Billy gave a small chuckle.

"Dr Cullen lifted me up here," he informed me his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"And uh, how was that?" I asked, a little shocked that my father seemed to be used to the vampires already, though I guess he couldn't smell their scents like Sam and I could.

"I was hesitant at first," Dad admitted. "But it was the easiest way and he promised not to drop me; I couldn't help but believe him."

"Yeah that tends to be the way with Carlisle," I agreed; almost everything that Carlisle has ever said to me I believed, there's just something about him.

"How are you Jake?" Bella asked, apprehension evident on her face. I wondered how much she knew about my experience with the Cullens. Given the history that she has had with them and everything I had heard, I imagined she would be more curious about my interactions with them rather than my health. Still, I knew she cared about me.

"Not bad; I had a fever last night, but that's over now."

"A fever?" Dad questioned. "Your body temperature is already above that of a human, are you sure it wasn't just normal?"  
>I shook my head and sighed at my dad. Did he really think I would be so silly to make that mistake?<br>"Dad, my temperature was 106 last night," I told him somewhat dramatically, wanting to emphasise how serious the fever was.

Sam swore.

Dad stared at me dumbfounded and I could tell he was wondering how I could possible get any hotter than I already was- to humans my skin almost burns them.

"But I'm better now," I reassured him quickly. "I hope I'll be able to go home soon."

Billy looked doubtful, but I smiled at my father as I told him that I hadn't been sick in ages and as long as I could keep food down, I felt the vampires would 'free' me. Dad didn't find my comment as amusing as I did and apparently neither did Bella or Sam.

In an effort to change the subject I turned to Sam and asked: "How's the pack?"

"We're doing fine," he told me. "It isn't the same without you of course; everyone misses your mind- especially Quil and Embry."

"Yeah, I miss them too. But you can tell them I'll be back soon- they'll be running at my flanks in no time," I said enthusiastically giving Sam a smile. He smiled back but I could tell he wasn't going to get his hopes up until Carlisle had told him personally that I was well enough to leave.

I tried to convince them I was fine, but none of them looked optimistic, not even Bella. I wondered if Edward had said something to her.

"How's Charlie, Bella?" I asked her. Even though I knew he didn't know what had happened to me, for some reason I was expecting him to come with my father for moral support or something. But I guess that would've been silly; he would have asked questions that we couldn't really answer anyway.

"He's good. Charlie believes I'm visiting you in La Push," she said with a smile, apparently thrilled with her acting skills and the plan she and Sam had formed together.

"Nice work," I replied, glad to have my best friend back. We would sort out our differences later, I was just glad to be surrounded by my family and friends.

There was a slightly awkward pause as Billy and Bella looked around the room at the various medical instruments lying near my bed, the bathroom that led off Carlisle's study, and the very long bed I was sitting on as if it was made specifically for me. I knew exactly what Dad was thinking: how much money did the Cullen's have? And why would a vampire need a bathroom leading off from their study? Ha! It was really quite funny- this house was huge and none of the rooms were even needed by the family who lived here.

"Mmh," Dad said suddenly as if remembering something. "How is your bite healing?" he asked me, his eyes narrowing in concern as he looked at me.

I automatically reached behind me and could feel the scar under my fingers. It had almost closed over now.

"It's good," I told him, "no infection or anything. You can look if you want," I offered, sliding off the bed and practically sitting in front of Dad's wheelchair so he could see.

My dad tugged a little at my shirt so he could see the mark properly.

"Haven't seen you wear a shirt in a while," he joked, chuckling a little.

"Ha! I know, but they dressed me in one when I got here so I thought I should wear it- otherwise it would just be weirder than it already was."

I felt my father trace the round bite with his finger and sigh.

"It was close, Jake," he muttered quietly.

"I know; if the others hadn't been on patrol and if Victoria was not so concerned about saving herself, I wouldn't be here right now," I asserted. One thing this experience has taught me is how fleeting life is. It sounds pathetic, but it's true- in the great scheme of things, I was lucky.

"Well I'm glad you're okay, Son," Dad said as he placed his hand on my shoulder and pressed his lips to the back of my head.

"Me too, Dad and thanks for coming, I know it wasn't easy for you to come-"

"Jacob," my dad interrupted, no longer listening to me. I could feel him tugging at my collar and I knew what he would see. "What are these?"

I gulped and turned around so I was facing my dad. Sam also looked concerned, but Bella had turned pale- I figured Edward must have told her what he did.

I tried to brush it off. "They're just bruises, I hit my shoulder on one of the taps in the shower," I said in my most convincing voice. It actually wasn't a complete lie; I hit those taps every time I went in there but they didn't cause the bruises.

Dad looked at me doubtfully and Sam reached out clearly wanting to look.

"It was an accident," I pressed forcefully, holding my hands up to prevent Sam from reaching my shirt. "It was my fault."

I sat back on the bed in an effort to get away from Sam's prying and my dad's suspicious stare. I couldn't believe it but I was actually lying so I could stay at the Cullen's. If Dad found out what Edward did, I knew he would immediately blame Edward and demand I come home- he wouldn't have listened to the fact that I triggered Edward's anger.

All three of my visitors were staring at me, but I wasn't really paying attention; my stomach was churning again.

_Oh shit… EDWARD! _I yelled in my thoughts, not sure how far away Edward would be. I felt the bile rise from my stomach and hoped to god that Edward heard me. I turned away from my family so I could vomit off the other side of the bed. I felt the clear liquid rise into my throat, my eyes closed, but instead of hearing splashes on the floor boards, I heard it splatter onto plastic. I opened my eyes to see Edward holding a blue bucket under me, his left hand on my back.

_Thanks, _I said.

"You feel okay?" he asked me, bending down so he could look at my face, for I was bent over double, the recent hurl made my stomach ache.

_Yeah. Man, I thought this was over, _I told him, annoyed by what had happened; this was no way to prove to my dad or Carlisle that I was ready to go home.

"The venom should be out of your system soon, if not already so I do not see why you are still ill," he told me, but he didn't sound worried, it was almost as if Edward was thinking out loud. "It is possible this is a delayed reaction to the fever you had last night. In any case, I feel Carlisle will want to take another blood sample to see how your white blood cells are coping with the venom."

_Okay, well whenever Carlisle is ready…_

Edward nodded. "Need help?"

"Nope I've got it," I told him through my teeth as I sat up straight and swung myself around to face my visitors once more. All of them looked pale and worried. I felt bad.

"Sorry about that," I said smiling to let them know I was okay. "That came out of nowhere."

As I was saying this, Edward gave Bella a quick kiss on the forehead and was about to leave, but stopped in his tracks. He left the smelly bucket at the door, turned on his heal, and to my surprise and horror walked back to stand in front of my father.

I had never seen my dad look so scared. Edward's face was not one of anger, but of sadness, but it wasn't of Edward per se that my dad was fearful. I later discovered that Edward returned to answer my dad's unspoken thought.

To my shock, Edward knelt in front of my father so they were eye to eye. Bella was as horrified as I was and Sam's eyes were wide in anticipation.

"I know your thought was not directed at me," Edward began in a gentle voice, evidently not wanting to frighten my father any further, "but I feel compelled to answer on Jacob's behalf. Jacob did lie to you-"

_Edward! _I yelled at him; what was he doing?

"And he doesn't want me to continue telling you what I am about to say," Edward continued, which annoyed me even further. Dad looked up just in time to see my frustration and annoyance. Dad then returned his eyes to Edward looking more shocked than ever. "It is my fault Jacob has bruises on his shoulders- let me explain," Edward insisted, for my dad took a breath in protest. "I lost my temper and I am very sorry. I left immediately after and I didn't return until I was sure I could handle myself. I am not proud of what I did; I should have had more control-"

"Edward!" Bella and I both protested at the same time. Edward didn't pay us any attention; his gaze remained focused on my father.

"They will tell you that Jacob and I were _both_ to blame," Edward continued speaking. "But I was not the one who was ill- I should have been able to maintain mastery over my actions. I am terribly sorry for hurting your son," and never before had I heard such emotion from Edward's words. "I promise you it will never happen again."

It was probably due to Edward's deep sincerity rather than true belief that my father nodded his head.

There was a moment's pause.

"Yes," Edward answered, a far more cheerful tone than the one he was previously speaking in. "Provided that Jacob does not vomit or have a fever for the rest of today, I suspect he can return home tomorrow."

"You really can read people's minds can't you," my father said, his voice both in awe but slightly fearful too.

Edward let out a laugh. "Yes Mr Black, I can."

Edward then stood up and left the room without looking back at any of us.

"How are you feeling, Jake?" Sam asked the moment Edward left.

"As good as I felt before," I told him and it was the truth. "Dad?" My father looked up at me as if he momentarily forgot I was in the room with him.  
>"I'm sorry for lying to you," I muttered, not really sure what else to say after what Edward just did.<p>

"Why were you trying to protect him?" my father asked, but not as an accusation; he was curious.

I rubbed my eyes with my palms just for something to do whilst I thought of what to say.

"It wasn't his fault- well it wasn't entirely his fault," I corrected myself.

"He said it was," Billy interjected, evidently annoyed that people were still lying to him.

"I know, but I wasn't exactly innocent; I provoked him," I explained.

"But you were sick. If you yelled at him or put up a fight, surely he wouldn't react by hurting you?" Dad pointed out, evidently disgusted.

"No Dad it wasn't like that," I persisted, really wanting my father to understand. "I said some really mean things to him and showed him some- some memories." I cringed and looked apologetically to Bella, whose face was apprehensive- evidently she was hoping that Dad would understand too.

"You showed him memories?"

"Yeah, I thought about something that happened in the past and because Edward can read minds, he saw what I was-"

"So he doesn't just hear thoughts, he sees what you want him to see?" Dad asked in disbelief.

"Yes and I abused that- I knew he could hear and see my thoughts- I was angry because I was sick and I was taking it out on him. I guess Edward became overwhelmed with what I was saying and showing him that it became too much and he cracked. I pushed him to the brink, Dad," I finished as the guilt I felt last night returned to me.

Billy sighed and looked at me, shaking his head.

"And this is the truth?" he confirmed, and I didn't blame him for being slightly annoyed having been told three different stories within five minutes of one another.

"It is the truth," Bella answered for me. "Edward came over to my house afterwards and told me what happened."

Billy stared at her for a moment and when she didn't waver in her resolution, her eyes bright and her face sure, he nodded and turned back to me.

"So what was Edward saying to you after you were sick? He mentioned something about a blood sample…"

But I didn't need to answer, because at that moment Carlisle entered his office and was able to answer my father's question.

"I felt it would be a good idea to look at Jacob's blood and see how much venom is still in his system if any. If his immune system has eliminated all of it, then Jacob should no longer vomit or have any more fevers," Carlisle told my father, a smile on his face.

Carlisle moved towards his medical supplies near my bed and began getting the tubing and vials ready.

"If all is well then I will ask Esme to cook Jacob a warm dinner tonight and if he can keep it down, then I see no reason why he cannot return home tomorrow."

"Your wife can cook?" Dad asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Carlisle replied, smiling as he continued getting things organized at human speed, evidently not wanting to emphasise that he is a vampire in front of my father. "She is a wonderful cook; I promise Jacob will love whatever she makes for him." My father seemed to accept this. "Okay Jacob," Carlisle said in a more formal tone as he walked to the left side of my bed. "If you could rest your back up against the head board for me and hold out your left arm…" I did what Carlisle asked, but he didn't do anything. It was only then that I realised that my dad was worried, and not being able to see what Carlisle was doing only made it worse. The room was tense and that just made me tense. I trusted Carlisle enough to know he could handle himself with my blood in an airtight tube, but my father did not.

"Jasper!" Carlisle called, pretending as if nothing was bothering him, though a small movement of his mouth told me that he wanted to keep things under control. A second later, Jasper was standing at the door, but hadn't entered. Dad spun around his chair to see who was standing there; I knew he remembered what Jasper could do and I wasn't sure if this was such a good idea. Jasper remained stationary, probably examining the emotional nature of the room. He didn't move from his post. I could tell Dad was apprehensive; he had a lot of difficulty turning his back on Jasper.

"I'll be fine Dad," I reassured him.

Dad didn't reply; he didn't believe me. I saw Bella move closer to my dad probably to say exactly what I had. But I wasn't really listening; I was focusing on what Carlisle was doing.

"Did you need me to go through the procedure with you again?" Carlisle asked kindly and I imagined this was how he treated all of his patients.

"No, I remember," I told him, though I was still a little nervous- it was different this time with so many people watching and waiting.

"Disinfectant," Carlisle said probably more for my father's sake than for mine or his, as he wiped a cotton pad over the crook of my elbow. He felt my veins for the largest one and also the easiest to access.

"Ready?"

"Yes," I practically whispered, I just wanted this to be over.

Just before Carlisle pricked my skin I felt a calmness come over me and I knew that Jasper was using his gift on the entire room.

I saw out the corner of my eye that Dad looked much calmer too, but his eyes told me he was surprised by the effect Jasper could have on him even though he was at least ten steps away. Man, Dad was getting the full experience of the Cullens' gifts today.

I felt the pin prick my skin and watched as my blood left my body and started to dribble into the awaiting vial. Once again, Carlisle remained composed as always and, thanks to Jasper, so did the rest of the room. This time, it felt like it took much less time for Carlisle to take two vials of my blood and I was surprised when I realised he was done. After removing the needle and placing a cotton ball and tape over my arm he walked out from behind my bed so Dad could see him.

"Thank you for your patience and trust," Carlisle said sincerely, giving my father a small smile.

"I didn't have much of a choice," Dad replied and I was glad there was a hint of humour in his voice. I was thankful Carlisle picked it up.

"Yes Jasper does tend to have that effect on people. I just wanted to make sure we all stayed safe today, so I apologise for asking him here."

"No, I'm appreciative of what you and he have done." Dad turned around and I followed his gaze- Jasper was already gone. "Tell Jasper I said thank you."

"Of course," Carlisle promised. "I will look at Jacob's blood now and get back to you with the results before you leave."  
>"Thank you," my dad said graciously. Dad and Dr Cullen shook hands, Dad flinched a little at Carlisle's cold touch, but he didn't pull his hand away. A moment later, Carlisle was gone.<p>

Dad, Sam and Bella stayed for a couple more hours and we talked about various things, thankfully not much to do with my stay here, though I bet that was the one thing all three of them really wanted to discuss. As the day went on I was reminded more and more how much I missed my dad- how weird it was not to see him every day. Also, the more I saw Bella and spoke to her the more I wanted to talk to her alone just to clear the air between us. Although she looked happy most of the time, there were moments when she looked sad and bit her lip. At first I thought she felt bad for not being there for me, but then I realised she probably knew why I was distracted in the first place- how Victoria managed to sneak up on me without me noticing. Damn Edward, of course he would tell her everything. But Bella was pretty upset that evening too, and she was the one who begged Edward to look for me, so maybe she worked it out for herself when she heard what happened…

I was dreading the moment when I had to say goodbye to Dad, even though I would be seeing him the next day, I couldn't thank him enough for coming to visit me in the last place he would ever want to be. Of course, as my father, I would expect nothing less, but even so, I knew it was difficult for him to be here, though I'd like to think that by the end at least Dr Cullen had made a good impression on him. Carlisle returned with the test results one hour after taking my blood and informed me that there was no more venom in my blood (or as far as he could see in the samples he took). He confirmed that I would have some dinner that night (which I was really excited about- I was starving) and if I had a sound sleep and didn't vomit then I could leave for home the following morning. Dad suggested that I have dinner at home and would bring me back to the Cullens if something went wrong, but Carlisle insisted gently that I stay here; he wanted to be sure I was better before sending me home. Eventually Dad gave in and only after Esme told him she would make spaghetti bolongese for me, did he begin to feel comfortable with me staying.

Sam drove Dad and himself home as Edward told them he would take Bella back to her place. I gave Dad a hug goodbye and told him I'd see him tomorrow. He replied with a gruff: "You better" and then clapped me on the shoulder and gave it a little squeeze, which I was glad to notice didn't hurt me like I was expecting it to. Billy then hugged Bella goodbye then wheeled himself to Carlisle's office door to wait for Sam.

Sam's farewell was pretty much the same as Dad's but with a handshake instead of a hug. "The pack misses you," he told me. "And I think I speak for all of them when I say we hope to see you tomorrow."

"I hope so too," I told him seriously; although my time at the Cullens was not as bad as I was expecting, I couldn't wait to return home and to my pack.

Edward and Carlisle went to the front door to see my father and Sam off which left Bella and me alone in the room. I was hoping all morning for a chance like this so I was glad I had at least a few minutes to talk to her. I watched Bella with interest as she walked over to my bed and sat next to me. She turned her body towards me and I to her. I preferred it this way; more intimate. Bella was searching my face for something and eventually she looked into my eyes and didn't stop. If she wasn't looking so hesitant and guilty I would have thought she wanted to kiss me. But it was so Bella for her to be worried about me and blaming herself for the situation I was in. I knew that was where she was going to go, but the first thing she said to me was not what I was expecting.

"Did you tell your father the truth?" she asked, sounding more concerned than accusing.

I stared at her. "Yeah, of course I did."

"If you were lying, you can tell me," she reassured me resting her hand on top of mine.

"Do you- do you really need me to say whether or not I lied?" I asked her gobsmacked that she was doubting the integrity and kindness of her vampire family.

Bella bit her lip and looked towards the door as if fearful Edward could hear her doubts.

"I'm just worried- the first time you saw Alice she didn't like you at all and you didn't like her either. And Jasper, well he's quiet and maybe a bit difficult to get along with? And Rosalie and Emmett aren't even here. And Edward's not your favourite person…" Bella drifted off and I couldn't help but laugh at her fears.

"Bella," I began more seriously now. "Aside from Rosalie and Emmett, the rest of the Cullens have been- I can't believe I am saying this but- they've been good to me Bella. At first I thought that maybe Carlisle or Edward or even Esme were keeping the rest in line, but I don't think that's true… Jasper and Alice have earned my respect, especially Jasper; he told me what happened- the reason why they all left you."

Bella's eyes grew wide. "He told you?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, he was honest with me."

"I never- I didn't think that was something he'd tell anyone, especially you!"

I nodded; I totally agreed. "So don't worry Bells," I said smiling in spite of myself, "your precious Cullens are very different to what I was expecting. And you are right; they are good."

Bella gave a small smile, but she couldn't meet my eye; she was staring in the direction of my bite.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, absent-mindedly reaching up to touch my scar.

"For what?" I asked somewhat annoyed that she was apologizing for something- anything.

"When Edward told me what happened, I was so shocked; there was no way you would be so distracted- I know how much you hate the smell of vampires. Then I realised it was because of me," she said wistfully.

I placed my arm around her waist and told her it was not her fault; I should have been concentrating better.

"Still… if only I asked Edward to look for you sooner- I knew something like this would happen!"

"Bella, stop it," I said firmly. "This is not your fault, so stop blaming yourself for it. I survived and I'll be back to normal in no time. So stop worrying about me!"

Bella gave me a real smile then. Finally she was beginning to forgive herself. "So," she teased, much happier now, "you like the Cullens now?" Bella poked her tongue out at me and I shook my head at her glee.

"Yes, I do, but…" I hesitated, knowing she would not like what I was about to say, "that doesn't mean I am okay with you becoming one of them."

Bella folded her arms and glared at me. "You're not going to change my mind, Jacob."

Typical Bella.

"I can change your mind if you fall in love with me instead," I pointed out.

"I love Edward, Jake- you know that," Bella told me sympathetically as if she thought I didn't already know this, which of course I did.

"I know, but you love me too."

"As a friend," Bella corrected.

"No. After everything we went through together this year, I know you love me too," I persisted.

"You're wrong," she told me simply, her arms still crossed. I could tell she would be stubborn until she could no longer conceal her feelings from me and Edward- it may take a while but she was worth the wait.

"We'll see- Edward still has competition," I smirked.

"I thought that now you know he is a good person you would lay off him?"

"Even though he may have saved my life and looked after me, that doesn't mean I'm just going to let him have you," I explained to her, almost sighing that she thought I would give up that easily.

"Why not?" she countered defiantly.

Now I did sigh. "Because I'm in love with you Bella," I told her gently, holding her hands in mine.

"Bella?" Edward called from down the stairs. There was no doubt in my mind that he heard everything we had talked about, but I didn't care; he needed to know that I wasn't planning on giving up on Bella.

"Coming!" Bella called back, and then looked at me in horror- she must've been thinking the same way I was. "Please," she whispered to me, almost desperate, "don't make this more difficult than it has to be."

"What? Can't Edward handle some competition?"

"There is no competition!" she hissed back.

"We'll see," I taunted her. She pushed me playfully and slid off the bed.

"Thank you for coming to see me," I said, serious now. Seeing her reminded me how much I missed her. I was glad that now the Cullens were back, she was much happier, but we still shared the friendship we had before they returned. I knew I would love her brown eyes forever.

"That's okay Jake, I'm glad you're almost better; I miss you," she whispered as she gave me a hug.

"Miss you too," I whispered into her hair.

"Be good," she warned me and I knew she was thinking of Edward.

"I will," I promised her- I had no intention of starting a fight or argument with Edward; all I needed was to see Bella once in a while to work my magic. Shame I wouldn't be able to shock Edward with my plans given he already knows them.

"Bye Jake."  
>"Bye Bells."<p>

I watched Bella leave the room and then looked around. Once again I was all alone, but somehow I didn't feel lonely; probably because I knew I would be getting dinner that night and would be returning home the next day.

But like everything that had happened to me in the last three days, nothing went according to plan…

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Author's note: So I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! As you can probably tell from the last line, something is (once again) going to go wrong for Jake. Unfortunately you'll have to wait until Tuesday to find out what it is! In the mean time, please let me know what you think about this chapter, especially (as it was my favourite part to write) the moment when Edward answered Billy's unspoken thought about Jacob. So if you could take a moment to leave me a review, I would really appreciate it! Thanks so much; you're all amazing!


	14. Chapter 13 Don't push me

Author's note: Hi everyone. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed and/or added this story to their favourites/alerts. I really appreciate it! This chapter is different from the others; there's a bit of action! So I am very interested to hear what you think of it! Happy reading, and don't forget to review!

Response to reviews:  
>Nicky1992: I'm glad you found Edward's honesty brave, and of course, he was very brave. I'm so glad you thought Edward's reading Billy's mind worked well even though it was a bit funny. Thanks heaps for reviewing!<p>

Yoda11: Haha, yes it was a bit of cliffhanger wasn't it? I promise you find out what happens in this chapter, and you're right, nothing is easy for Jake in this story :( Even so, I hope you like it! I'm so happy you like my story! Thank you!

ibeebrookie87: I'm so sorry to hear about your dog :( I am glad that my update made your day a little better. Hope you're feeling a little better now.

Alphapup0909: Lol your review made me laugh! I can't believe people have actually written fics where Edward dumps Bella for Jake! I am really going to have to read one of those! But no, I'm sorry, that's not what's going to happen here lol. There is not heaps of 'Jakeward' in this one, but I promise you, the next chapter is all 'Jakeward' :P

Eruhin: Haha, yeah Jake was trying very hard not to remember the previous night, and seeing Edward's face definitely didn't help! I'm glad you liked that Edward was honest- and you are so right, Edward does feel very guilty so much so that he refuses to allow anyone else to take the blame. Everything else you loved, I loved also, I'm so happy! Hehe, the love triangle will be the same and yet different (helpful I know lol), but I'm glad you are looking forward to seeing where I take it- I am looking forward to hearing all your reactions! And now you are about to find out what could go wrong! Happy reading!

HighFiveMe: I'm sorry for the cliffhanger! But now you are about to find out! I hope you enjoy the chapter :) Thanks heaps for reviewing!

1sweetmoment: You are so right about Billy- after everything Jake had told him, he wanted to give the Cullens a chance, so he was alert, but also willing to give them the chance to prove themselves. And he definitely was given a taste of Jasper and Edward's gifts and I wanted to do that, as you say, to show Billy how they can be used to Jacob's benefit. Aww and thanks so much for saying you don't know anyone who could have written it better :) I really put in a lot of effort into those scenes. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! I can't wait to find out what you think of this chapter.

'Trust me'

Chapter 13- Don't push me; it's not worth my life… or yours

Edward's POV

I stayed at Bella's for a couple of hours after her visit with Jacob. We didn't discuss Jacob's love for her- something of which myself, as well as my entire family heard very clearly- but I could tell she was worried about what Jacob may do to try to prove his point. For the moment, I wasn't so concerned; the wolf was in my domain for now and more importantly, Bella loved me and that was all that mattered. When I returned home around 5 o'clock in the evening, I could smell Rosalie and Emmett's scents as well as Jasper and Alice's. I knew the latter couple were due to hunt today and wondered whether the four of them had met in the forest that surrounds our property. I hoped that Jasper and Alice would have the sense not to bring the others back home just yet, or at the very least, warned them that Jacob was still with us; surely they could be reasoned with to wait one more night?

When I arrived home to discover that my siblings had not returned, I went up to Jacob's room and found him lying down on the bed staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought. He was thinking about Bella and various ways of spending time with her that may trigger her 'true' feelings for him. I resented him for forming such schemes, but then I realised he had nothing better to do. I hoped that when he was free to go back to La Push, he wouldn't think about Bella so much. In any case, I left him to his thoughts. I visited Jacob every hour just to make sure he was feeling okay. Neither of us mentioned what he said to Bella even though he knew I overheard. He didn't want to discuss it and neither did I, so we left it at that.

I spent the rest of the afternoon speaking to my family, including my apprehension about the possibility that Emmett and Rosalie may return that night. Carlisle reassured me that if they did, we would all deal with it at the time. I played the piano to get the possibility off my mind; I knew Rosalie and Jacob in the same room would not be a good idea given Rosalie's attitude towards werewolves and anyone else who made her precious life more difficult than it had to be. It worked for the most part, and was relieved they still had not arrived when, as promised, Esme called Jacob down to the dining room for a huge serving of spaghetti bolongese. I went upstairs to make sure Jacob was okay walking, keeping in mind that he had hardly stood up for more than a minute at a time the last three days, so the stairs may be difficult for him. I needn't have worried; the smell of dinner kept Jacob motivated, eventually seating himself at the table without any assistance from me.

"I hope you like it," Esme said, her hands interlocked with one another, evidently nervous.

Jacob sprinkled a handful of cheese over his meat, grabbed a fork and ate like- well like an animal. He was starving and as I watched him eat, I felt guilty for not having fed him anything prior to this. Carlisle was thinking the same thing. Thankfully our negligence did not appear to have done any serious damage.

When Jacob was about two-thirds through his spaghetti, I could hear Rosalie and Emmett's thoughts; they were about 100 meters away from the front door. I could not hear Jasper or Alice's- I was wrong in assuming they had crossed paths. Rosalie and Emmett felt certain that Jacob would have recovered by now, so were returning with a plan to surprise us. I suspected that when they approached closer to the house they would be able to smell their mistake. Sure enough, they were twenty metres away when Rosalie detected the stench of wolf.

_I can't believe he's still here!_

Preparing for some resistance- or perhaps a lot of resistance from my sister, I signaled to Carlisle to come to the front door and whispered to Esme to stay with Jacob. Jacob watched us leave and wondered where we were going. He wasn't distracted for long because seconds later he resumed eating his dinner. I heard him tell Esme with his mouth full: "This is so good," as Carlisle and I stepped outside and closed the door behind us. I felt like we were performing an intervention, but really we just wanted to keep the peace within our home until Jacob left the following morning.

"Welcome home Rosalie, Emmett," Carlisle said courteously as he did his best to look happy to see them, which of course he was, but given the situation their arrival was not entirely welcome.

"Ha!" Rose snorted. "Doesn't look like it," she hissed, staring at me. "What's he still doing here, Edward?" she demanded.

"Jacob is here by my request, but he has recovered nicely. If he can keep down the dinner Esme made him, he will be free to leave tomorrow morning," Carlisle explained.

"He's been sick?" Emmett asked. My brother thought it would have been amusing but also a little disgusting to witness Jacob vomiting- he was sorry he missed it. Of course, Rosalie had a completely different attitude.

"Why can't he just vomit at home?" she asked scathingly.

Carlisle stuck his arm out in front of me to prevent me from physically lashing out at Rosalie- there was no end to her high-mindedness.

"Jacob's body was trying to rid itself of the venom," Carlisle said patiently, in a tone that almost annoyed me. I knew he was feeling anger and frustration like I was. "We wanted to monitor how his body was reacting to it and vomiting was one such way," Carlisle paused, looking seriously between Emmett and Rosalie, the latter's nose was turned up in arrogance and incredulity, but she knew that what Carlisle was about to say was not to be disobeyed.

"Jacob has been through a lot whilst you have been away. He will be leaving tomorrow morning. If you feel you can remain civil then you may come in, but if not, then perhaps you should return tomorrow when Jacob has returned to his home."

Emmett didn't mind either way- he was all for hunting down another bear and spending another night alone with Rosalie. I instantly pushed his thoughts out of my mind not wanting to see another rendition of a sexcapade of theirs, and focused on Rosalie. As I expected, she was livid.

"I live here!" she shrieked. "His presence here should not influence my plans!"

"They don't have to," Carlisle reasoned with her. "Remain civil and you may come in."

"How can I be civil to someone who makes our entire house reek? It's putrid! Once you realised the venom would not have killed him you should have taken him home- then he wouldn't be intruding on all our lives!"

"Leave," I hissed at Rosalie through my teeth.

Rosalie laughed, and her thoughts only made me more furious.

"Well, well, well I never would have thought I would see the day that Edward Cullen would turn his back on his family to defend a werewolf," she taunted me, her eyes wide in mock shock. I had just about enough of her arrogance.

"If you cannot stand losing a few more hours of your much needed contentment- if you insist on destroying the relationship we have formed with him- then you are no family of mine!"

"Now, now," Emmett protested, standing in between Rosalie and myself, the two of us about to attack each other. "Come on guys, don't do this. We can wait, can't we Rose?" he encouraged his wife, who I knew would be too livid for reasoning now.

"No," she whispered dangerously back. "We live here and we have more right to be here than he does."

"For as long as Jacob is under this roof, he is family," Carlisle told her with great authority; he knew Rosalie would cause trouble if she felt Jacob meant anything less to Carlisle.

Rosalie stared at Carlisle for a long time (for a vampire) as multiple thoughts crossed her mind. She genuinely did not wish to speak to Jacob and intended to watch some TV and stay the night in her bedroom with Emmett, so as much as she would have loved to cause trouble in spite of me (not Carlisle), she felt she could handle herself.

I eventually had to resign myself to the fact that she was staying- if I had things my way I would have forced them to wait until tomorrow afternoon, but Carlisle didn't feel it was right to keep them away any longer than they already have. Reluctantly, I re-entered the house ahead of the rest and immediately went to stand next to Jacob who was finishing off the remaining morsels of his meal. I wished Jasper was here; I had a feeling this would not go well. Jacob looked up at me when I stopped next to him and noted the concerned look on my face. Jacob's eyes were glued to the door that led to the dining room and Esme followed his gaze even though she knew exactly who had returned and everything that was said outside.

Rosalie found Jacob by following his smell, and almost instantly Jacob smelt the 'new' vampire scents of Rosalie and Emmett. Upon seeing them enter the room, which one had to pass through to get to the staircase, Jacob stood up as he felt too vulnerable sitting down.

Typical Emmett took two long strides to Jacob and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey man," he said cheerfully, holding out his hand for Jacob to shake, "how're you feeling?"

"Uh, good, thanks," Jacob replied hesitantly, not quite sure how to react to Emmett who he'd never met before, yet didn't seem too adverse by him.

"Oh, hey, I see you're wearing my shorts!" Emmett noted.

"Oh yeah, thanks for that… Emmett right?"

"Right- but don't worry you can keep them," Emmett offered and then winked at Jacob. I shook my head, a small smile on my face- maybe Emmett could keep Rosalie at bay.

"Come on Rose," Emmett encouraged, holding out his hand to her. Rosalie stared at Jacob momentarily, but then followed her partner out of the room. Much to my dismay however, they did not go upstairs as they originally planned, but took the long way around to the living room on the other side of the house.

Although nothing had happened between him and Rosalie, Jacob knew she did not welcome him and was relieved he would be leaving tomorrow. Jacob took his plate to the kitchen and thanked Esme once more for the dinner she cooked him. Jacob was hoping to have watched some TV himself, but given that Rosalie and Emmett were in the living room, he asked me if there was another one elsewhere he could watch. I told him he could watch the television in my room if that wasn't strange for him. I led the way upstairs, Jacob behind me. Both Carlisle and Esme were in the kitchen now whispering hurriedly to each other expressing their relief that things were going smoothly so far with Rosalie and Emmett returning.

"I don't care!" Rosalie shrieked; "he shouldn't be here!"

I guess I should have known a conversation about 'How Jacob looked in my shorts' would have led to this. Immediately Carlisle and Esme went into the living room in an attempt to calm things down before she continued screaming like a five year old.

"Come on Jacob," I encouraged the boy who had stopped frozen on the step behind me. But he didn't budge.

Perfect, he wanted to hear more.

"There is nothing worth hearing," I told him seriously. "She is my sister and even I don't listen to her," I half joked, trying to make anything Rosalie may later say somewhat lighthearted. I swear to God if she said anything that was poisioning her mind right now, I would kill her.

Without even realizing it, Jacob slowly walked back down the stairs trying not to be heard, though I knew the rest of my family could hear his footsteps perfectly. Yet, this only seemed to give Rosalie the audience she was hoping for.

"What I want to know," she began in an icy voice "is what is so special about Bella- seriously both Edward and the wolf almost lost their lives because of their love for her, it's pathetic; she's only human!"

There were a multitude of reactions to this statement of hers. Carlisle and Esme both began to protest saying Bella is a kind girl who has accepted us and kept our secret. Emmett did not agree with Rose, but tried to, as he always does, to be supportive of what she says. He was finding it difficult though because he knew she was hurting me as well as Jacob. Jacob stood stationary on the tiled floor staring in the direction of the living room, even though he was not able to see anyone within it. He was starting to shake.

"Jacob," I said gently, resting my hand on his shoulder. "Rosalie has never liked Bella- she's jealous of her. This isn't about you, even though I understand your desire to defend her," I empathized, my voice slightly deeper with emotion as I too wanted to rage at Rosalie. But I had learnt by now not to give in to her; it only makes her more bitchy.

"Nevertheless," Rosalie pressed in a more persuasive and thus more musical tone, "she won't be good for him if he can't even sense when a vampire- let alone the one he is tracking- is practically on top of him! Did anyone think to ask him that?" she demanded scathingly.

I closed my hand tighter around Jacob's shoulder, which was still shaking. For the moment, Jacob had control over his body- he knew he couldn't phase here; an attack would be too likely and the Treaty would be broken.

"I'm sure we all wondered," Esme said gently, feeling a little scared because she knew Jacob and I could overhear, "but Jacob survived, and I'm sure he'll try not to make the same mistake again."

"Yes Esme," Rosalie drawled almost impatiently, "but he may not have survived if it wasn't for Edward and Carlisle- he had better be grateful-"

"He is, Rosalie," Carlisle asserted, an icy steel to his voice. "Now, Jacob and Edward can both hear you, so given the promise you made before you re-entered this house, I suggest you stop-"

"But don't you see," she persisted, though she lowered her voice slightly. Seeing what she was about to say I wanted to run in there and throw her against the wall, but I decided to stay to keep an eye on Jacob who could still hear every word that left Rosalie's despicable lips. "Who's to say it won't happen again? We all know Bella loves Edward and he her, so I'll bet there will be many more moments of distraction- many more times when we'll all be inconvenienced."

"Stop this at once!" Carlisle interjected, and I had never seen his thoughts so coloured with anger. I was too busy worrying about Jacob to really feel my own anger, but I felt it was getting to the point now where I needed to say something lest Jacob phase next to me.

"He should know, Carlisle."

I hissed through my teeth at her stupidity. If she had mentioned this to me first I could have told her that such things had relentlessly filled Jacob's mind almost non-stop when he was alone. He didn't need Rosalie to remind him of the mistake he made.

I squeezed Jacob's shoulders and told him I would be right back. I looked into his eyes and saw that they were wet, but no tears had fallen. Sorrow was all over his face and throughout his mind, and I hated that Rosalie was willingly and knowingly causing him pain; he had been through enough.

But I didn't wait for his reply; I ran into the next room to stop this torture from continuing.

Rosalie shut up when she saw me enter, though the sneer on her face and the pity in her voice told me she only thought it pathetic that I was about to stand up for Jacob. This only made me more furious.

"Jacob has thought of everything you've just said and more- punished himself enough for the mistake he made. It is not your place to be so cruel to someone- even a werewolf. You entered this house under the contract that you would not aggravate the situation here, but it only took you ten minutes to hurt Jacob as well as myself."

Nothing about Rosalie's expression changed at these words- remorse was no where in her thoughts.

"Not my place?" she challenged. "I live here Edward or have you forgotten who your family is?"

"I told you," I said through my teeth, now only a foot away from her face, "that I do not wish to associate myself with someone as selfish and unfeeling as you. You are no family of mine."

"Ha! Whatever you may say about me, Edward I care about what happens to my family. You, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Alice have spent the last three days 'caring' for this werewolf," she spat, my fists clenching at my sides, "but did you ever stop to think that perhaps there was a reason he was bitten…"

"Rosalie!" I warned her as I saw in her mind what she was about to say. "Do not push him!"

"It's survival of the fittest Edward. If his preoccupation with Bella prevents him from detecting the presence of a vampire, then what use is he to his pack?"

"Jacob, no!" I yelled as I watched in my mind as Jacob's control cracked and was replaced by the animalistic fury of a hurt and vengeful wolf.

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Jacob's POV

My body convulsed- I felt my muscles burn and stretch as I let myself explode into the beast I had been trying to fight off for the last ten minutes. Through this nose, the disgustingly sweet vampire stench increased ten fold- I winced against the burn. I felt my muscles contract powerfully with every move I made. I adjusted my position so I was no longer cornered near the stair case, but in the corridor that connected the dining and living rooms. My breathing was deep but fast as I used my senses to determine what was happening in the other room. I assumed Edward knew I had lost control, but I didn't care; as a wolf I felt ready to fight- to cause injury- to kill. Just the thought of the bitch caused me to feel an intense anger that shook my body. I waited, ready to pounce should I see her face, my back legs ready to spring, my teeth eager to get around her miserable throat. She had caused me pain… anger and now she was going to pay.

Finally, the door opened.

I growled in anticipation of Rosalie's appearance, which then escalated into frustration when I saw Edward enter instead, his eyes wide and cautious. He had his hands up in surrender, but the crouch in his legs told me he was ready to fight should I initiate it. I grunted heavily through my teeth as I stared at Edward and then at the door behind him- if only I could get through…

"I will not let you," Edward told me simply, as if that settled the matter.

I felt my anger increase at the idea of not being able to cause the damage I desired- no one should stop a wolf from seeking revenge if they intend to live- Edward was no exception.

"I will stop you," he told me with so much certainty, it was foolish.

_You shouldn't, _I told him dangerously- not wanting to hurt him, but made it clear that if he forced me, I would.

Edward stiffened, his arms no longer up but poised at his sides ready to attack. At first I thought he had taken my warning as an attack, but then a second later I understood his behaviour as the door behind him opened again. Emmett entered, protecting the creature I wanted to attack. The moment we saw each other, she turned her nose up at me to openly show her disgust and that she wasn't afraid to turn away from me.

I saw red.

Anger gave strength to my muscles and my resolve.

_I'll show her_. I launched myself at her neck. I was a foot from reaching my target when I felt a stone hard band wrap around my neck causing me to gag and gasp for air. The choke forced me back towards the dining room table. I flipped around trying to get an effective aim at Edward (the only person who could have stopped me), so I could incapacitate him long enough to try again.

"You don't want to hurt me Jacob," Edward told me gently, his grip around my neck iron tight and apparently effortless on his part.

I yelled at him, but as I wasn't in my human form, my words came out in growls, yaps and howls. I saw Esme and Carlisle standing next to Rosalie- concern etched on their faces as they stared at me; worried for Rosalie- and so they should be.

I bucked my head back and used my front leg to push Edward away from me. He let go and I was free again. I launched myself at Rosalie once more- I didn't care if all five of them attacked me.

Just when I thought I would make contact- surprised I had got this far without any of them moving an inch to prevent me from killing their family member, a powerful blow hit me in the ribs. I skidded into the wall and fell to the ground. Rosalie's smug smile made me face Edward, who had a dark look on his face- I suspected it was directed at his sister. But I didn't wait to see what he was thinking- if he was going to fight against me then I had no choice but to eliminate him.

I winced as I stood up; I felt my ribs crack against Edward's hand when he pushed me and my shoulder stung painfully when I was thrown into the wall. Despite the pain, I had to keep fighting; it would heal soon enough. Seeing me limp and whimper, Carlisle move towards me, but was stopped by Edward's sharp order: "Don't move Carlisle." Of course, the doctor didn't dare disobey.

_So this was what he had done- told his family to leave me to him- the mind reader-_

"And the person you are least likely to hurt-"

I snorted both in pain and disbelief as I limped stupidly towards him.

"I'm sorry," Edward apologized, eying my right side.

_Bull shit! _I swore at him in my thoughts. _Why are you protecting her? _I demanded and reminded him of all the things she said about me. As I recalled the scathing, relentless verbal attacks, my anger increased and so did my pain. Edward's face softened sympathetically.

"I know she hurt you- made you furious. She hurt me too," Edward said gently, walking a little closer to me as if he wanted to make me feel better.

_Then why are you on her side? _I shouted, feeling hurt at the injustice of it all, forcing myself not to be disappointed and hurt that someone as cruel as Rosalie would win the defense of the rest of the Cullens simply because she is family.

"You are both wrong," Edward informed me and Rosalie, "I am not on Rosalie's side."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rosalie's disbelief as if she had been slapped in the face. Before I could state my own disbelief to Edward, he explained.

"I am protecting all of us. If Jacob was allowed to attack Rosalie, the unspoken treaty of peace between our species would be broken- our families would be at war. I know that Rosalie would not want any of us to die for her, and Jacob would not want his brothers to die for him. I am trying to prevent a fight from starting." Edward then turned to me and said with great sincerity: "I have not taken Rosalie's side. If she decided to attack you, I would thwart her attacks in order to protect you."

_I don't need protecting!_

"If he wants to attack me then let him, Edward," she taunted me, adrenaline pumping through me as I felt my ribs become stable again, "his stupidity will cost him his life."

My roar echoed off the walls of the large house as I turned on Rosalie. The only thoughts that entered my mind were ways of destroying her, methods of getting to her. But every time, I was stopped by Edward who used his strength, speed and mind-reading abilities to thwart me before I could touch a hair on Rosalie's head. I yelled in frustration, swiping Edward aside with my paw as I'd position myself to strike again. Eventually, Edward had me face on, pushing against me, his hands gripping my fur as he forced me backwards.

"Esme," Edward said through his teeth. "Find Jasper."

From behind Edward's shoulder I watched Esme squeeze Carlisle's hand, look worriedly at myself and her son before leaving via the back door to find Jasper.

I pushed as hard as I could against Edward who maintained his position despite the various ways I tried to loosen his grip.

_Get out of my way! _I screamed at him, a roar reflecting my frustration with him.

"She isn't worth it, Jacob!" Edward yelled right back at me.

_If you don't stand aside, I will force you to,_ I threatened him.

"Hurting me in order to kill her will not solve anything, Jacob," Edward told me seriously. I bent down lower in an attempt to push him back with my head, but this didn't work- we were face-to-face now.

_It will make me feel better! _I told him. _She pushed me on purpose! She knew this would happen! _

"Yes," Edward sighed, his eyes flickering to Rosalie's, "she did this intentionally."

I swung sharply to the left, forcing Edward to move with my motion, which gave me a clear opening to attack my target. If Edward knew what was best for him, he would release my fur and let me at his good for nothing bitch of a sister.

But before I could act, Edward forced himself in front of my gaze again. I growled in annoyance. "Because she is _jealous_," Edward continued, his eyes boring into mine, clearly hoping to change my mind about how much she deserved to suffer.

I snorted at his attempt, but didn't take my eyes off Rosalie- yet it was clear in Rosalie's eyes that Edward was right.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Edward," Rosalie hissed, trying to cover up whatever she was truly feeling. And of course, to say that Edward didn't know what he was talking about would be about the stupidest thing someone could say; he always knew what people were thinking.

"You know I do, Rosalie," Edward answered and I could hear a smile in his tone.

I stared at the indignation, the stubbornness, the almost unaffected aura around the vampire and couldn't believe that she was capable of jealously, especially of me.

_Even if she is jealous, that does not give her the right to be cruel._

"I know," Edward acknowledged whole-heartedly, moving his head once again so I was forced to look at him, rather than at Rosalie, "but she is not as cold-hearted as she may appear-"

_I don't care; I won't let her get away with this!_

"Oh, she won't- Rosalie will face the consequences of what she has done. She put us all in danger."

"Oh whatever," Rosalie scoffed. "If all it takes is Edward to stop him-"

"Shut it Rosalie- there is no excuse for your behaviour- I have never seen Carlisle so angry and disappointed!" Edward snapped at her. He didn't dare take his eyes off me, but his face darkened again and I could tell he was beyond pissed at the blonde, just like I was.

At this, everyone turned to look at Carlisle. His face looked impassive, but there was a fire in his eyes that I had never seen before. I couldn't imagine Carlisle ever yelling… Nevertheless, she wasn't going to pay attention- criticism would just slide off her back- the creature has no feelings.

_That's not enough! _ I countered Edward; she deserved so much worse- though admitedly Carlisle's displeasure was something I would never want to face. Besides, I couldn't just phase into a wolf, be thwarted by Edward more times than I can count, and then phase back without laying a hand on her.

"You have nothing to prove to her," Edward said under his breath to emphasise how much he meant it, yet of course, everyone could still hear.

"Ha!" Rosalie snorted.

_That's it!_

A roar rumbled up from my chest and exploded out of my mouth. I felt Edward grip my fur, but I jerked away from him, no longer caring about anything except doing something to Rosalie- anything to prove to her that this was not for show- I had never felt more angry- more hurt in my life.

Rosalie's eyes were wide as she looked into mine, and I swear I saw a flicker of fear or perhaps guilt on her face…

That one moment of hesitation allowed Edward to jump onto my back.

I bucked him off me, and then yelled out when he held on by my fur.

_Get off me, Edward! _I screamed at him.

"I will not let you destroy our families, Jacob!" Edward told me through his teeth as he pulled his way further up my back, causing me to shout out in pain.

I swore at Edward, and yelped but to my surprise none of the on-looking vampires looked amused anymore.

_You're hurting me!_

"I am not letting go until this stops, Jacob. She isn't worth it!"

_She can't get away with this, Edward!_

"I know she pushed you, Jacob, but it's not worth your life- or mine. If you hurt her Emmett would not rest until you're dead!" Edward said, now practically sitting on my shoulders.

_Fine with me! At least she got what she deserves!_

"Death is the easy way out; only those remaining would suffer, not her."

But I was beyond reasoning.

I swung my head around and yapped at Edward's arm which was dangling by my ear. I managed to nip his finger, and then pushed my back legs up. As I hoped, he flipped over my head so I was standing over him, breathing deeply through my nostrils.

Edward looked strained, his eyes wide, as he lay vulnerable below me. I knew he could get off the ground faster than my eyes could see, but he stayed there.

"This can't continue, Jacob," he told me seriously- cautiously, his hands in front of his body so they would be bitten before his face. "I know Rosalie hasn't helped matters; I would have told her to leave but I wanted her to see what she's done-"

_She doesn't care._

"She does," Edward said somewhat hesitantly. "But it is not likely she will ever admit it."

_Stubborn bitch._

"Yes," Edward agreed, almost relieved as if he thought I was relenting. "She doesn't know what she's talking about- she wasn't here and had no right to make judgments."

"Of course, because seeing my family befriending a werewolf is my idea of fun," Rosalie said in a falsely cute sarcastic voice.

I leapt over Edward to sink my teeth into Rosalie and felt a heavy stone-hard weight land on my back again.

"I know I should just get rid of Rosalie," he shouted over my growls as I swung him around. "But I know you'll just follow her."

"Like he could catch me!" Rosalie objected.

"Shut up, Rosalie!" Edward hissed at her, physically shaking in frustration.

I fell to the ground and rolled over onto my back and managed to squash Edward with my weight, though of course, it had no affect on him, except dazing him for a moment. When I got back onto my four legs to make another attempt on Rosalie's life, Edward's ice-cold arm was suddenly wrapped around my neck.

I tried to wrench him from my neck with my teeth, and although I couldn't get a grip him yet, I knew my anger was getting out of control; hurting Edward was a real possibility.

"I'm sorry I need to do this Jacob," and it sounded like he meant it.

From a tight pressure around my neck, it then became a choke hold. I couldn't breathe properly; Edward's elbow crease was tight around my throat. Slowly Edward climbed off my back, his arm still tightly around my neck, dragging me down with him.

I kept pulling away from him in a direction that would not choke me further. But it didn't work. I became more and more frustrated that I was being dragged down, rendered useless by a vampire in front of his family. Before I knew it I was on the ground on my side, my legs kicking out, multiple growls hissing through my teeth, my eyes watering out of agitation and embarrassment.

_Let go of me! _I tried to yell at Edward, but the tone in my head was more exasperated- almost upset.

"Edward," Carlisle said gently, but with a great sense of authority. "Be careful," he warned, looking at me greatly concerned.

"I will, I'll know if I hurt him."

Carlisle nodded, though he still looked doubtful when he looked into my eyes.

_You can't do this to me! _ _Let me go! She can't get away with this!_

"She won't, I promise you."

_Let me go! _I grunted, pushing against Edward with the back of my head._ Let me have this one thing, please! After everything she has said… _I was almost tearful by this stage which was only magnified when I remembered how harsh she was.

"I know… I can feel your pain, I'm so sorry."

_Don't apologise for her!_

"I should have known better than to let her in."

Then Edward's attention was distracted as he looked towards the window that faced towards the forest.

"Thank goodness," he whispered so quietly I hardly heard him, his relief evident when he loosened his grip ever so slightly and used his left hand to stroke the fur on my back.

I wanted him to stop; I didn't want or need to be comforted by him, but as a wolf his motion calmed me- it was the only way he could get away with this.

A second later, Esme entered the living room with Jasper and Alice close behind. Jasper's face was tense as he looked around the room, most particularly at myself, Edward and Rosalie.

In a flash he approached me and bent down near my head, so quick it almost scared me. He stared into my face as if he wanted to see if my feelings were in line with whatever was happening in my body: increased heart rate and restricted breathing. His face softened when he saw my feelings of hopelessness had overridden the anger I felt.

To be sure, Jasper slowly reached out to touch the top of my head and carefully rested his hand there. Immediately I felt calm, and although I was aware that I was still in my wolf form, surrounded by a coven of vampires, all I could think about was Jasper's concerned face, his hand resting on the top of my head, and Edward's rhythmic patting of my fur.

"Edward, you can let go of Jacob now," Jasper whispered, clearly trying to keep my calmness stable. I didn't bother trying to resist him because I knew I could not overcome his gift

"You sure?"

"Yes," he replied, not taking his eyes off me.

Slowly, Edward removed his arm from my neck and I could breath freely again.

"How are your ribs feeling?" Jasper asked me. Could he sense where I was feeling pain, not just that I was feeling it? I wondered, but I never received a response from Edward.

"Did you want me to look at them?" Carlisle offered, apparently convinced that I was not about to attack again.

"What happened?" Alice asked, apparently shocked that Edward had hurt me.

Rosalie huffed, her arms folded in disgust, almost looking sick as she watched her family care for me. I smiled in grim satisfaction- my smile must've looked weird as a wolf, but it was still satisfying.

As I contemplated this, I heard Edward quickly updating Alice on what happened when she and her partner were off hunting.

I felt a pressure on my side and realised only then that Carlisle was examining my ribs. It was uncomfortable, but it didn't hurt. Apparently satisfied, Carlisle stood up and told me:

"It looks good Jacob. But I am not a vet, so I may have to look at you later when you phase back into your human form."

I felt much more relaxed now- but I was not sure whether it was Jasper's influence or the fact that the vampires were paying more attention to me than Rosalie. I closed my eyes despite myself, and when I opened them I saw Rosalie staring daggers at me, which only made me more content. Don't get me wrong, I still hated her and wanted to hurt her, but I would have to choose another time to do that.

"Do you feel ready to phase back?" Edward asked me gently, moving around so I could see him as I was still lying down on my side.

I nodded my head towards my, or should I say Emmett's, shredded pair of denim shorts in the far corner.

"Right," Edward muttered, then turning to Emmett, who had hardly said anything through this ordeal, said: "Could you please get a pair of your shorts for Jacob?"

Emmett paused for a moment, looking between Edward and Rosalie, uncertain if doing what his brother asked would equate to taking sides.

"Now, please," Edward insisted.

Emmett nodded then disappeared upstairs and returned in the blink of an eye. He reached out and handed Edward his shorts, looking sympathetically at me.

"Okay, so you have shorts…" Edward said as if working it out in his mind. "Anything else?"

"Perhaps some privacy?" Esme suggested, smiling at me, not sure if that was something I needed.

I grunted in assent- privacy would be… necessary.

Edward latched onto this and stood up, the rest of those kneeling around me, followed suit. Jasper was the last to stand up, his hand not leaving my body.

"Are you able to stand?" he asked, his intense eyes staring at me.

I slowly stood up, not able to look at any of them as if I was someone injured in a fight- a fight that never actually happened.

_Yeah, I'm fine. _I told Edward, hoping he would tell Jasper.

"He's feels fine," Edward told his brother. At this, Jasper removed his hand off my fur and allowed me to stand on my own. It felt weird towering over all of them as they all stared up at me. I avoided their gaze.

_I'll try to phase, but no guarantee._

"Of course," Edward said courteously. "Let's go," he encouraged, leading his family to the opposite side of the house.

I was alone now, completely alone. Well I say completely, but of course they could still hear every move I made, and Edward could hear my every thought. I focused on my body, trying to stay calm. The stench of vampire reeked through this nose which made it difficult to concentrate. Nevertheless, I focused on taking deep breaths to stay calm, my nose stinging painfully. I picked the shorts up off the ground with my teeth and took it to the staircase so I could feel a little sheltered behind the bars. I focused on the core of my body as I relaxed. I strained my ears listening for any sign that someone watching me or about to re-enter the room whilst I was phasing. When I was certain I was safe from such an interruption, I closed my eyes. Eventually, I felt myself become human again as I lost my fur, my sense of smell not so acute now, and then I quickly put Emmett's shorts on. But now I felt much more vulnerable- my human body was no match for vampires now. If something were to happen- if Rosalie were to attack, I would be dead in half a second. I felt sick somehow… even though I was back to my normal self, after what happened I knew I would always have to be on my guard with Emmett and Rosalie around. I needed space- and time- so like a wus I ran up stairs to Carlisle's office and began pacing around the room more agitated than I had ever felt before.

My mind was all over the place- I had to force myself to stop thinking- moving, in order to listen to what was happening down stairs. Sure enough I heard the vampires move swiftly back into the living room. And of course, I should have known they all heard me leave.

Rosalie's high pitched laugh made my nerves grind together in fury and embarrassment. God I hate her.

"Shut up, Rosalie," Edward said venomously. "Can I leave her to you Carlisle?" he asked seriously. I heard Rosalie scoff, but Carlisle took him seriously.

"Of course."

But instead of going hunting or visiting Bella, Edward came upstairs- I knew he was headed my way; apparently wrestling me to the ground wasn't enough, now he had to comfort me. Argh! Couldn't he leave me alone? I heard his footsteps ascending the stairs as slow as a human's. My pacing increased; I couldn't stand still because if I did, I felt my emotions would catch up to me- that everything that just happened- would become too real. The reality was too terrifying to consider- what could have happened- what I could have done, was too much to bear. If Edward wasn't there to pre-empt my attacks, I could have broken the Treaty- our families would have been at war, and I would have been the first or second casualty. Everything was going so well, and then suddenly I was centimeters from ripping Rosalie and Edward to pieces. My breathing was heavy. I forced deep breaths out of my lungs as I told myself to stay calm. I couldn't let myself reflect; it was just too what? Too painful? I stopped pacing and closed my eyes- I tried to be calm- to stop myself feeling crazy. Being human was so much harder than when I was in my wolf form; as a human my emotions were so much more complicated and intense. I tried to stop the tears from coming and was glad my eye lids were hiding my hurt, until I remembered that I couldn't hide anything from Edward…

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Author's note: Firstly, I just want to say that I do not think the canon Rosalie would be _this_ cruel (though perhaps you disagree?), nor do I think Edward and Carlisle would have stood around and let her talk in such a way. Having said this, I find it really hard to imagine a vampire trying to stop another vampire from talking; how would they do it? Clap their hand over the other's mouth? It probably wouldn't work, but if you disagree, please let me know! However, Rosalie's behaviour is explained later and when that happens, I hope you find her reasons believable (though of course, this does not excuse her behaviour). In the mean time, I would love to know what you think especially with regard to the potential breaking of the Treaty, the way Edward was able to hold Jacob off, and Jasper's interference? Thoughts? I would LOVE to hear them! Thanks so much for reading! I will post up the next chapter on Saturday :)


	15. Chapter 14 Leave me alone

Author's note: So this chapter is very much a Jake/Edward chapter. I want to preface this by saying that Edward spends quite a bit of time talking to Jacob about Rosalie. I want to clarify that Edward's explanation reflects my own understanding of Rosalie's character in both canon and my story, so I am imagining a few of you, at least, will disagree with me. Consequently, I would love to hear your thoughts, but if you could accept my analysis of Rose for this story, I would really appreciate it :) Thanks so much everyone! I hope you love the chapter (I quite enjoyed writing it).

Reply to reviews:

Nicky1992: I'm so happy you found the chapter interesting and you thought Rosalie's behaviour worked in well with my story. Haha yeah I think it was a bit implausible that Carlisle did not at least attempt to stop Rosalie- and I most definitely would not have put up with such behaviour. But for the sake of my plotline, I needed Jake to get really mad (enough to phase), and the only way I could see this happening was if Rosalie 'ruined' everything. Thanks heaps for reviewing!

ibeebrookie87: Lol I was very happy to read your review! Don't worry about being hyper, it happens to the best of us! Yes, Jake was rather a 'bad dog' in the previous chapter, but I hope you found his behaviour understandable :) And I am delighted that you are obsessed with my story! Means a lot! And no problem, I love writing stories for amazing reviewers like you :D

1sweetmoment: I'm so glad you loved it! And that it got you thinking about the characters. Yes, I am pretty sure Rosalie would not have been _this_ cruel, but she is cruel and I don't feel it was too much of a stretch. Rather I think it is more implausible that Carlisle and Edward didn't do anything about it! This chapter explains a lot more about Rosalie's character so I am very interested to hear what you think :) I completely love your analysis of Jacob's remorse; you are spot on. With regard to Jasper, I think Jacob, knowing what Jasper's gift is, calms upon seeing him because he knows what is about to happen. So there is no 'twist' in this regard, Jacob just appreciates Jasper's gift :) Thank you (as always) for your amazing compliments! It is wonderful to hear that my perceptions of these characters are depicted so clearly in my writing! Thank you for providing me with such valuable feedback!

Jaruto: Haha, well there is no fever in this chapter (or in any future chapters- sorry!) but I really hope you do love this chapter anyway- it is all Jake and Edward, and I hope there are at least a couple of moments that you'll love. Can't wait to read your next review!

Eruhin: Yes, leave it to Rosalie to be a b**** lol. And I completely agree with what you said about Rosalie- she wouldn't be this cruel, but her saying such terrible things is not COMPLETELY out of character. So thank you for your feedback! I hope you consider her reasons to be reasonable (though by no means forgiveable lol). I am glad you were able to relate to Jacob's pain in the previous chapter, because he did feel helpless and that will also be reflected in this one. Your review of the other scenes that occurred in the previous chapter are favourites of mine too: Jacob's realization that the Cullens were standing up for him, Jasper's compassion (I am delighted you love the way I write him), when Edward pats Jacob's fur to calm his down, despite choking him (is also one of my favourites!), and finally, I love Edward too! Thanks heaps for your complimentary review! I love to read what you think :)

'Trust me'

Chapter 14- Leave me alone

Edward's POV

The feelings I experienced as I caught Jacob in a head lock and forced him to the ground are difficult to describe. The only thought I allowed to drive my actions was the knowledge- the certainty that if I didn't do something to restrain him, he would lose it and attack me. But there was a small part of me, a part I did not allow to come forth, that wanted to let him attack Rosalie so the pain he was feeling would finally stop. However, the consequences would have been too severe; what use would there be in allowing Jacob to hurt or kill Rosalie when it would only break the Treaty between our families and permanently destroy the relationship we had built with him? No, I could not allow it to happen. I knew it was uncomfortable and humiliating for Jacob for him to be lying down and feeling entirely useless in front of my family, but I had no other option. In all honesty, I was worried I couldn't keep Jacob at bay any longer. His mind was full of his anger and frustration, not only at Rosalie, but at me too. I couldn't take the risk that Jacob would turn against me- he was, after all, a werewolf. I knew he didn't want to hurt me, so I had to prevent him from making that mistake- I was only trying to protect him, Rosalie- all of us.

So it didn't surprise me that Jacob wanted to be left alone. His thoughts were loud and clear in his head that he did not want me to follow him upstairs, but I think he knew me well enough by now that I wouldn't leave him alone after what just happened.

As I climbed the stairs, I knew that Rosalie was feeling smug, though not as smug as she was hoping to feel; her problem being that I was following Jacob upstairs in an attempt to comfort him, not berate him for phasing. Also, she knew she was in trouble with all of us- especially Jasper who, even to my surprise was greatly affected by Jacob's emotional state when he arrived. In that sense, I was relieved Jasper was not around when the struggle began; given how upset Jacob was _then _I wondered whether Jasper could have handled the intensity of his emotions. When Jasper discovered that Rosalie had intentionally provoked Jacob, it made him furious. I felt certain that leaving Rosalie in Carlisle and Jasper's hands meant she would be disciplined to my satisfaction. I wanted nothing more than to yell at her for an hour, but I felt Jacob needed me more- not that he would admit that of course.

As I was climbing the stairs, slowly for me, I could hear Jacob pacing the room incessantly; he didn't know what to do with himself and was confused as to why he felt panicky even though the worst was over.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I could see into Carlisle's office. Jacob had left the door open and I noticed immediately that he had stopped pacing. He was leaning against the bed, his arms straight out supporting his weight on the bed frame. I didn't want to walk in- even though I knew he could sense my presence… for some reason I didn't want to interrupt this moment.

I knew that the events of the last hour or so simply added to the trauma and distress Jacob had experienced over the last three days, and it pained me to realize I could have easily prevented it had I overrode Carlisle's authority and refused Rosalie entry into our house. Yet despite paying close attention to Jacob's scattered thoughts and feelings, I was taken by surprise when I saw and heard Jacob vomit on the floor. The boy's shock matched my own. I froze waiting to see how he would react. My family had heard the sound of his retching from downstairs, and they too didn't move; waiting for the reaction myself and Jasper knew was coming. Even Rosalie was listening intently; her own sense of personal doom increased when she realized she was most likely the cause of Jacob's recent bout of nausea. I was glad to hear how her thoughts sank when she acknowledged to herself that Jacob's being sick would not bode well for her. Emmett's face was tensed when he heard Jacob vomit- a sound he had never heard and one he desired never to hear again. In that moment, the only good thing to come of Jacob's suffering was that Rosalie and Emmett were able to witness what the rest of our family and Jacob had been experiencing whilst they had been away. Emmett at least, had a better understanding that, contrary to what he imagined, witnessing a wolf being sick was not at all amusing.

I and all of my family members cringed, our bodies tense when Jacob swore at the top of his lungs, his emotional frustration clear in the sheer volume of his voice and the trembling in his physical frame. I was surprised to hear a glimmer of guilt flicker through Rosalie's mind in response to Jacob's cry, but soon she was forced to hear the continuation of Carlisle's lecture which was stern, straight to the point, and trembling with deep disappointment.

I continued to watch Jacob, almost certain that the one swear word did not satisfy his need to release both his anger and sadness. I took one step forward to almost be deafened by a single thought: _LEAVE ME ALONE! _I stopped moving instantly, but I never took my eyes from his back as he continued to lean into the bed frame, his breathing quick with a growl rumbling in his stomach. I saw images of my family's faces flash menacingly through Jacob's mind: Carlisle's eyebrows creased in worry, Esme staring, her hand to her mouth, Emmett's bared teeth, Jasper's concern, my eyes alert and tight, and Rosalie's sneer-

Bang!

Jacob interrupted his own thoughts as he punched the bed frame with his fist.

My family immediately stopped conversing when they heard the noise.

I whispered: "All is well," to let them know we were both safe.

They hesitated momentarily, then continued talking: Carlisle was reminding Rosalie heavily of the Treaty that had been formed between the Quilluete tribe and our coven, and despite Rosalie's protests that she knew the Treaty perfectly, Carlisle insisted she endure the reminder of his explanation because she evidently did not consider its importance half an hour ago.

Jacob could feel a throbbing pain in his knuckles having just punched a sturdy metal frame, but that didn't stop him from continuing to release his anger and pain in the same manner.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

I kept watching the boy, imaging angry tears pouring down his face even though I could only see his back.

If it wasn't Rosalie's jeering, conceited, arrogant face that spurred him on, it was the stench of the vomit on the floor below him which only reminded him of his weaknesses. He thought of me a couple of times, but didn't really care what I thought of him for punching the bed. After five punches, Jacob's frustration was ebbing into a sense of helplessness; he felt weak physically and emotionally. Jacob believed that as a wolf he would have had a chance of defending himself, but that night, when the situation called for such a defense, he was thwarted. It scared him that his being a werewolf did very little to us. How was he to face me and my family after the scene he had created? He was embarrassed- what would Rosalie think of him knowing that he vomited his food just because he was deeply hurt by what she had said? Maybe he was weak and pathetic like she had suggested?

Jacob punched the frame again, a sob escaping his lips, but he fought back any tears as he continued to release his anger on the bed which surprisingly stayed together; I could only assume it was made for a vampire.

For now, Carlisle had ceased his punishment of Rosalie. Like me, they had all heard Jacob's multiple punches as well as his sobs and Carlisle felt it best that Rosalie and Emmett leave until the following afternoon. The pair did not mind- quite happy to get away from the hurt the former had caused, and were more than content in leaving Jacob to us. I would have been annoyed at Rosalie's readiness to force the consequences of her actions on to us, if I hadn't known it to be completely true; given Jacob's state, it was best she leave, like she should have done an hour ago. When I heard the back door close, signaling the departure of Emmett and his disgruntled wife, who knew she would have to face Carlisle and Jasper when she returned the next day, I was able to freely focus on Jacob without fearing Rosalie's interference.

Deciding that Jacob had punished himself long enough and because his fleeting, however intense emotions were becoming difficult for myself and Jasper to handle, I sped to his side too quickly for him to sense me, and placed my hand on his before he could release another punch. He jerked to a stop at my touch, but refused to look at me. I stayed there with him, my hand not moving off of his boiling skin. I didn't say a word; I wanted to see what he would do.

Jacob's breathing was agitated. Never before had I seen so clearly in his mind how much he wanted to leave my house and escape being around vampires. Even though he was the most physically well he had been since I brought him here, he had never felt more defenseless- he felt his wolf form was no longer an asset to him. Jacob tried to snatch his hand away from under mine, but I grabbed his wrist before he had the chance to move. Jacob stared wide-eyed at my pale skin on top of his much darker and warmer tone, and seemed repulsed and then fearful. He pulled even harder against my grip, but I didn't let go.

"Jacob," I said gently.

"Let go of me!" he screamed, resulting in my family falling silent once more. Jasper was telling them what he knew in quick whispers as they continued to listen intently. When I wouldn't let go, Jacob used his left arm in an attempt to hook my head. Naturally, I ducked before he had a chance to hit me, but I didn't try to stop him from his continued attempts to punch my head off. Suddenly, there was a blow to my chest- it didn't hurt me, but Jacob winced as his knuckles cracked against my skin. Yet, it didn't stop him from continuing to hit me. It was then that I realised that his frustration was not only perpetuated by my tight grip on his wrist, but because it reminded him of the intervention I provided when he wanted to attack Rosalie.

"Let me go!" he grunted, his teeth gritted together as he grabbed the front of my shirt which would have been highly frightening if I wasn't a vampire; he was livid.

"Stop this," I said, grabbing his other wrist and holding his hands close to my chest.

He tried to yank his arms away and I realised that I was physically trapping him- this wasn't helping Jacob feel secure in my house.

"I will let you go," I told him seriously, "when…" I continued holding Jacob's wrists more gently now, "you stop punching the bed and me."

Jacob stared at me, his eyes were wild. They reminded me of how he looked when he was in his wolf form trying to lash out Rosalie.

Jacob tried to pull away again. I gave in a little just so the boy wouldn't break his wrists in my hands. He then kicked me- his legs were so long I had to move back a significant way so he would miss. Jacob exhaled and with it was a helpless cry that really hurt me.

"Edward, stop him please," Jasper insisted from downstairs, who was half tempted to put an end to Jacob's misery himself.

"Calm down, Jacob," I tried to soothe, holding his wrists more gently.

Jacob stopped attacking, but his distress was ever-present and made him feel powerless.

_Just leave me alone, _Jacob begged, tears swimming in his eyes as he stared at his arms trapped together in my grasp.

"I will leave you alone when you have stopped hurting yourself."

_Fine! _Jacob hissed in his mind.

I let Jacob's wrists go, his arms fell to his side, but he didn't move.

"Jacob-"

"Just- just leave me alone- I want to be _alone_," he emphasised, his watery eyes boring into mine.

Even without my ability to read minds, I would have known that _that _wasn't true.

But I felt that now wasn't the right time to tell him my theory, so I decided to go along with him for the moment.

"I respect your wishes," I contended. "But, I will clean up first," I insisted as I looked at the ground. Without waiting for his reply I immediately began to clean and was finished in half a minute.

Jacob was standing exactly where I left him, watching me in agitation; to say 'thank you' was too difficult because it would mean he still needed me. Instead Jacob waited, breathing quickly but deeply, for me to leave the room as I promised. Of course, I had every intention of leaving, but not before I said a few things.

I turned to face Jacob standing a good five meters away so as not to overwhelm him. The ferocity on Jacob's face was undeniable when he saw that I had no intention of leaving yet. His eyes were bulging, his fists were clenched and his teeth bared.

"I will leave," I emphasised to Jacob, knowing that his anger, although genuine, was being used to cover up emotional hurt, "but I want to say three things."

"You can't just leave me alone, can you?" Jacob demanded.

"I understand you are shaken by what has happened and want time alone. I promise to give you as much time as you need, but not until you have heard what I need to say," I said as sincerely as I could, taking a step towards Jacob, assessing his thoughts with every move I made.

Jacob's lips formed a thin however shaking line; he wanted to say no- he wanted to be alone, but he knew I was stubborn and that eventually he would have to give in to my wishes if he ever wanted some privacy.

I knew he consented to my request because I was providing him with no other option, but that didn't matter; what I had to say was important.

Jacob lay on the bed, his eyes apparently captivated by the ceiling. I sat beside him in an armchair; not wanting to intimidate him by standing.

"How are your ribs feeling?" I asked Jacob. They weren't on Jacob's mind at the time, so I assumed they were not bothering him, but nevertheless, I had to enquire- I felt guilty for throwing him so hard against the wall.

Jacob didn't answer for a moment, but his thoughts were enough: he briefly examined his right rib cage whilst providing a running commentary in his mind.

_Doesn't hurt, _he assessed, pushing against his ribs. Lifting his arm up, he added: _but a little stiff._

I nodded my head; it sounded like the ribs had healed, but whether the bones were cracked or broken, I wasn't sure. If it was the latter, I needed to ensure the ribs had re-aligned themselves correctly.

"May I quickly make sure that they have healed correctly?" I asked him.

"They're fine," he grumbled, still looking at the ceiling.

"I understand they feel fine," I said patiently, "but if they broke and healed at an incorrect angle, that will cause you problems in the future."

"Great," Jacob replied sarcastically, but still refused permission for me to touch him.

"Please Jacob, I need to have a look-"

"You're not a doctor," he snapped at me.

"I know," I acknowledged, though I probably knew more than most human doctors. "Would you prefer Carlisle to quickly examine you?"

Jacob's answer was an immediate: _No! _He did not want to see Carlisle- in some strange way he felt like he had let my father down by losing control.

"Then allow me- it's important."

Jacob sighed and without looking at me, lifted up his shirt so I could see his rib cage which was sticking out from beneath his skin. I knelt down on the floor so my eyes were at the same level as his ribs. I gently ran my thumb and index finger down each rib, one on each side. Jacob flinched when my skin touched his, but otherwise remained still and silent. All the ribs seemed fine with no sign of injury, but the final rib had a crack in it. I suspected it was broken, but had thankfully begun to heal in the correct position. I ran my thumb over the area a few times to ensure my diagnosis was correct.

"I'm sorry Jacob," I whispered, realizing the damage I had done. Jacob didn't reply, but he knew my apology was genuine.

I stood up, as Jacob pulled down his shirt. "Your ribs are healing nicely. I feel the bottom rib was broken, but it is healing in the correct position."

Jacob grunted his understanding.

"How are your knuckles feeling?" I enquired, reaching out automatically to look at his right fist.

Jacob flexed his right hand then ran the fingers on his left hand over the knuckles of the other.

"They're fine," he told me in a tone of indifference.

I decided not to push the issue given that the injury there was not likely to be serious; I would ask Carlisle to check on it later.

"And how is your stomach feeling?"

"It's fine!" Jacob snapped at me; he was seriously upset by his recent vomiting episode.

I reacted to Jacob's outburst by changing the topic before he tried to kick me out.

"That was the first time I have seen your wolf form for more than a split second," I rectified remembering the moment he phased in my presence just prior to being bitten by Victoria.

"Good for you," Jacob replied sarcastically; he considered my statement to be obvious. I decided to get to my point.

"Your wolf form is far bigger than I was expecting; your ancestors were significantly shorter than you," I informed him, wondering if Jacob knew the reason as to why this was.

"Maybe that's because there are more vampires around now," Jacob answered monotonously.

"Perhaps," I acknowledged, not sure of the answer myself. "In any case, I found your size quite intimidating."

At this, Jacob snorted and laughed humourlessly. "Says the person who could snap my neck in the blink of an eye."

Now it was my turn to chuckle. "I apologise, I should have clarified that I find you intimidating when I do not wish to hurt you. It was difficult to keep you at bay."

"Says the mind reader."

"Just because I know what you are thinking," I explained to Jacob patiently, "does not mean I can stop you- especially when I want to keep you safe."

"Well you didn't quite manage that did you?" he said scathingly, as Jacob remembered how it felt to be hurled into the wall.

"No, I didn't," I admitted solemnly.

"Well you better hope you're not around if I lose control again, because I'm still growing," Jacob whispered to me, almost as a threat.

I knew Sam was taller in his human form, and therefore likely to be a larger wolf than Jacob, but I honestly thought, or perhaps hoped that Jacob's growth spurt had ended.

"Do you envisage being taller than Sam?" I asked.

A small grin flashed across Jacob's face. I couldn't understand the meaning behind it; the images in Jacob's head were too complex for me to fully comprehend.

"Is that a yes?"

Jacob was no longer smiling.

"Yeah; my grandfathers were both wolves, so I have inherited the gene from my mother and my father's side. Sam only inherited it from his father's side as have most of the other wolves in the pack. Whoever has the most 'wolf' in them has the right to be Alpha and therefore must be the biggest in the pack," Jacob said simply, though I had a feeling that it was more complicated than that.

"Does this mean that you will one day be the Alpha of your pack?"

Jacob snorted. "I could be Alpha whenever I choose, but," Jacob paused and for the first time since I began talking, he look at me, "that isn't what I want."

I was captivated by this statement as I could see in Jacob's mind that being the Alpha almost repulsed him.

"Why?"

"I never wanted to be- this," Jacob indicated to his body. "I never believed any of this. I heard my family tell stories, but I always thought they were myths. I told Bella that you were a vampire-"

I froze at these words, realizing how serious that could have been- grateful that no one else except Bella knew what he told her.

"I didn't believe it!" Jacob insisted, seeing the stricken look on my face. "But when I was told it's true…"

Jacob shook slightly, unable to look at me any longer.

"Does it hurt to phase?" I asked, honestly not knowing the answer as all I could see when Jacob did eventually snap was emotional pain.

"Not anymore. The first week was hell, though," he told me. Then closing his eyes, Jacob remembered how he felt when the symptoms of becoming a wolf first began to show. The intense burning, the alarming rate at which he grew, the pain he felt, the fear that consumed him, the panic as he felt his body mutilate.

I could see it all.

"I see," I muttered, trying to stay calm, but I couldn't keep the edge out of my tone that indicated I wanted him to stop remembering. "As much as I am sure you will hate me saying it- I can relate to how you feel."

Jacob's eyes bored into mine, because a small part of him believed me.

"We both had to learn to control ourselves." Jacob eyes tightened when I said this; he was expecting my lecture to begin. I decided not to correct him just yet.

"I am surprised you were able to phase back into your human form so soon after the confrontation ended."

"Normally it would have taken much longer- you can thank Jasper for that," Jacob told me, almost bitterly as if he resented Jasper's interference.

"You didn't like Jasper interfering?"

"I don't know how long it would have taken for me to phase back if he wasn't there- it's pathetic that I need a vampire to help me relax and stay in control," Jacob muttered through his teeth, his jaw clenched in frustration at how intimately his emotions affect his ability to phase.

_She's right; I'm useless- pathetic…_

"Nothing she said tonight that was even remotely true," I asserted, standing up, agitated that Rosalie's words had suddenly infiltrated Jacob's mind.

"Do you know what could have happened tonight?" Jacob demanded of me, raising his voice; he felt I didn't understand the negative impact his phasing could have had on all of us. "If I did kill or hurt Rosalie, the Treaty would have been broken-"

"Only Emmett would have sought to retaliate-"

"Why wouldn't the rest of you protect her? Do you hate her that much?" Jacob yelled somewhat hysterically; he could not understand my reasoning.

"It has nothing to do with our feelings for Rosalie; but our understanding and our witness to what actually happened- she provoked you."

"That was never outlined in the Treaty!" Jacob protested.

"It didn't need to be; when someone has the intention of hurting your feelings, they might as well be attacking you!" I retaliated just as strongly.

"It's not the same!"

"It is in our eyes," and I knew in saying this I could speak for Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Alice.

"Not in mine!"

"Jacob-"

"I can't phase every time someone teases me about my feelings for Bella-"

I shook my head. "Rosalie was not teasing you- she was being malicious by confronting you with the memory of the physically and emotionally traumatic event that has already caused you enough pain. It was not her place to do that to you and none of us blame you for phasing when you did."

"But what did phasing do? I was powerless against you- she was practically laughing as she watched me struggle." Just then, an image of Rosalie's sneering face became stuck in Jacob's mind.

"Rosalie may have been amused, but the situation was far from being funny, Jacob," I told him seriously. "Rosalie put us all in danger."

"Not really; she knew you weren't willing to hurt me."

"No," I corrected Jacob and unconsciously sat on the edge of his bed. Jacob's eyes were wide as he stared at me, wondering why the sudden change in my body language and tone, "she put us all in danger _not knowing_ whether _you_ would hurt _me_."

Jacob was not expecting this and had difficulty picturing the events of that night through this different mindset. I decided to continue arguing my point.

"Your rage was, at first, completely aimed at Rosalie. It didn't take me long to realize, however, that the more I thwarted your attempts to attack her, the more your anger turned towards me. I will not hesitate in telling you that I was genuinely afraid that you would suddenly change your focus and attack me instead. With so many thoughts being thought during that time, it would have been easy for me to miss it. Do you remember when you flipped me over your head and stood over me?"

Jacob nodded, evidently speechless as he listened to my perspective of what happened.

"In that moment you could have hurt me. You could have wrapped your jaw around my head and flung me across the room, or stood on my limbs and ripped my head from my shoulders."

Jacob cringed.

"But you didn't. And although your frustration towards me continued to increase and sometimes your eyes flashed in my direction instead of at Rosalie's, you did not lose the part of you who is in touch with your true anger- you stayed focused on Rosalie. I know you felt helpless against me, but your wolf form is not useless. Tonight you showed all of us, including Rosalie, that you have tremendous mastery over how you direct your rage. So although it may not have felt like it, you stayed in control and in the end it was because of you that no one was hurt."

Jacob stared at me in disbelief- it was only then that he realised I was not about to lecture him.

"If no one was there to stop me, I would have killed her," Jacob stated as if it were a sin.

"If Rosalie said those things about me or Bella, I would have had great difficulty restraining myself from tearing her apart too," I told Jacob honestly.

"I just wanted her to stop- it was as if she knew every bad thing I thought about myself after the incident. A part of me thought that maybe she was right."

"Rosalie had no right to say something so cruel, regardless of whether she was right or not. It was not her place to shove it in your face. She has not been here- she does not know what you have been through."

"Then why did she even talk about me?" Jacob asked feeling confused.

I sighed knowing that the reason I would give was no where near justification enough for Rosalie's actions, it never is, but alas, that is who Rosalie is.

"Rosalie wanted to anger you- she hoped you would phase."  
>"She must've been thrilled when I did," Jacob replied bitterly, angry that he gave her what she wanted without realizing.<p>

I chuckled slightly, remembering how quickly the nature of Rosalie's thoughts changed between Jacob phasing and my decision to defend him.

"Not quite," I replied with a small smile. "She didn't intend on me standing between you."

"She wanted to turn your family against me?"

"In a way, but her motivations were more deeply embedded than simply wanting to cause trouble. Nevertheless, both Carlisle and Jasper were furious when they realised Rosalie had knowingly pushed you to the edge- Carlisle, because Rosalie promised him she wouldn't say anything to ruin the relationship we have with you, and Jasper because he could feel the hurt her words caused you."

"I still don't understand why she would do this to me- I haven't done anything to her," Jacob stated feeling confused and indignant.

"I know," I quickly acknowledged, adjusting my position on the bed so I was facing Jacob. "I wish I could say her reasons were simple to understand, and I suppose they are if you know her…" I wondered off, not sure how much I should tell Jacob about Rosalie. Of course, Rosalie would never find out what I said, but there were some things that shouldn't be said for… safety reasons. I never envisaged there being a conflict between Jacob's family and mine, but if there were, the least he knew about Rosalie, the better.

Jacob was staring at me, expecting me to continue. It became evident that he wanted to understand why Rosalie did what she did, and so I decided to give him at least that- there was little else I could do to give him some closure.

"Before she began this life," I began, as Jacob sat up in bed, "Rosalie had what she describes to be the 'perfect life'. Of all of us, Rosalie is the most resentful towards being a vampire and during difficult times, she blames Carlisle for 'saving' her. What Rosalie wanted more than anything is a family and although Emmett is the world to her, she sees our coven as the one good thing she has. Since the moment she was changed by Carlisle, she has been vain, shallow, and bitter. Of all my family she is the most difficult to live with which has caused some problems for us in the past. But her many negative qualities, as I quickly realized, were her way of covering up her love for our family as a unit. She wants us to be happy and while she may sometimes disagree with the way we choose to achieve that happiness," I paused momentarily and gave Jacob a significant look which he interpreted correctly to mean 'Bella', "she would rather put up with it if it meant we could all stay together.

"So when Rosalie discovered that I was bringing you to Carlisle, she willingly left thinking that you would not be here for long. Rosalie was certain that once you were strong enough you would have fought your way away from us-"

"I tried."

"Yes, but she hoped you would have tried harder," I smiled. "Alternatively, she hoped we would have taken you home because it was too difficult for us to live under the same roof. So, when Rosalie returned, she was disappointed that you were still with us. When Carlisle stopped her at the door, she had to promise to be civil before she was permitted entry. I believe it was her intention at the time to keep that promise. However, once Rosalie entered the house and saw you wearing her husband's shorts, she felt like you were more than a patient, but a friend-"

"Jeez, it was just a pair of shorts," Jacob commented, surprised that borrowing someone's clothes apparently meant so much more than being hospitable.

"Yes, but Rosalie didn't see it that way. You were sitting at our table, eating the food Esme made especially for you, with the rest of us doing our usual thing as if your presence didn't bother us, which of course, it didn't."

"Her partner wasn't concerned at all that I was wearing his clothes," Jacob pointed out.

I chuckled. "Oh no, he was amused to find someone large enough to fit into them. Emmett is very different from Rosalie."

"I reckon."

"But while Emmett is quite willing to accept vampire life and other creatures, such as werewolves like yourself, Rosalie does not. She doesn't trust anyone who is a threat to our family and due to not having been here for the last three days, she saw you as a threat. She was annoyed at my family for welcoming you so readily and felt we were too quick to trust you. She even went so far as to think that you were putting on an act to learn more about us- in other words, she did not believe the relationship we shared was genuine. To prove her point, Rosalie sought to anger you enough that you would phase and then attack all of us. If her plan worked, she envisaged us kicking you out, after which myself, Carlisle and Esme would thank her for alerting us to the danger you pose."

Indignation was etched on Jacob's face as he listened to me, his fists clenched whenever Rosalie's name was mentioned and fear whenever he remembered how close he was to proving Rosalie right.

"But as you know," I continued more gently now, "she did not succeed. In fact, her actions created the opposite effect to the one she intended. I wish I could describe how shocked she was when she realised I was protecting her for your sake, not hers," I laughed a little and Jacob reluctantly joined me as he too recalled the look on Rosalie's face.

"But even then, she thought I was delusional for protecting you; she thought that perhaps I was trying to befriend you to please Bella. Whatever the explanation, Rosalie felt that if she continued to emotionally abuse you, you would eventually turn on me in order to get to her. She waited and waited and when you swung me over your body so that you were standing over me, she was, I hate to say, ready to both rejoice in her success and come to my defense because she was certain that was the moment you would have lashed out at me.

"But again, you didn't act as she expected you to and so she began to consider why: either you were more controlled than she ever thought possible for a wolf, or you cared about me enough to force yourself to not injure me. And in the end, Rosalie came to the correct conclusion: both reasons were right."  
>Jacob nodded once, no longer looking at me.<p>

"My sister is self-serving, vain, and cruel, but this is her way of defending herself against the fear she has inside: that she will lose us, whether physically or emotionally, to someone else. If she discovered our friendship with you was genuine and strong, she could not see herself being able to accept you, which in her eyes would mean we would isolate her - the one thing in the world she doesn't want. But instead of explaining this to us, she decided to push all of us into a dangerous situation and never once considered the consequences that would have arisen beyond the thanks she would receive for being right. She was very short-sighted, probably due to acting on an unprepared plan.

"I know none of this justifies Rosalie's actions, but I hope that at the very least, you understand that her primary motivation was fear. She had to know for certain how strong your relationship was with all of us, and now she has a copious amount of evidence. I believe your trust in Jasper and his empathy for you was most difficult for her to witness, because Rosalie was certain Jasper would be the most resistant to you- civil and nothing more."

For the first time since his arriving here, I saw pride colour Jacob's thoughts; his relationship with my family was no longer centered around needing us, but a real friendship that he helped to create and one that Rosalie never thought possible.

"Does she feel bad at all?"

I paused before answering Jacob; it was a difficult question to answer because Rosalie's guilt never lasts for long. "I believe so," I finally replied, my eyes narrowed in thought. "When she heard you vomit, shout and cry out, she did momentarily blame herself for your pain. This, in addition to being forced by Jasper to reflect on tonight's events, led to her feel guilty for causing her family and you so much distress when in the end, her attempts were pointless and her fears, unfounded. When Rosalie heard you swear, she knew I would be here for you and that's when it finally occurred to her that hurting you the way she did only made us turn against her- she knows I will never let her hurt you again."

Jacob simply stared in my direction, unable to meet my gaze.

"I am proud of you, Jacob."

He looked at me then and immediately concluded upon seeing my face that I meant it even though he couldn't understand where my compliment had come from.

"You are far stronger, physically and mentally than you give yourself credit for," I asserted kindly, "my family knows that now. And thank you for caring about me enough to focus on controlling your anger."

"I couldn't bring myself to hurt you, unless you hurt someone I love," Jacob whispered. "Bella would never forgive me if I did, and after everything you have done for me…" I watched as Jacob closed his eyes tightly and turned away from me.

I paused, waiting for him to speak, but instead his mind filled with memories… of every moment I had comforted him with my words, my actions and my scent.

_If I'd hurt you, I never would be able to forgive myself._

I watched in surprise as a tear rolled out from under Jacob's right eye lid and slid down his right cheek

"You didn't hurt me," I reminded him quietly speaking in a soothing tone, not wanting to frighten him by speaking too loud.

_When I phased back into my human form I ran up here fearing that she- that I had ruined everything._

"No; what we experienced together when she was absent is far stronger than any cruel comment she could throw at us. She will never understand our relationship, but now she knows better than to attempt to break it. The only thing that has changed is we _all_ have more respect for you and the friendship you share with our family."

It took a moment for my words to sink in. Eventually Jacob gathered enough composure to reply: _Thank you for understanding- I guess you and Jasper are the only ones who truly get it…_

I nodded. "I am so sorry for the pain she caused you. If we had known we would have refused her entry. I promise to never let her hurt you again."

"I don't need your protection," Jacob reminded me and of course he was right, he didn't need it, but I felt he would like it.

Eyes still closed, Jacob gave a small smile, then wondered what Rosalie was doing now. I decided to answer his unspoken thought just as Carlisle was ascending the stairs.

"After giving her a firm talking to, Carlisle and Jasper requested Rosalie leave. Naturally, Emmett went with her. They will return tomorrow evening."

Jacob nodded his understanding.

Upon smelling Carlisle's scent, Jacob opened his eyes which were bright and alert as he waited for my father to join us.

Carlisle was cautious when he entered the room, but the concern on his face was unmistakable. Even more than me, Carlisle felt responsible for Rosalie's behaviour and the consequences that arose from it.

"How are you Jacob?" Carlisle asked as I moved out of his way so he could get closer to his patient.

"Okay," Jacob mumbled back, wiping away his almost dried tears so that Carlisle wouldn't notice.

"If you can keep breakfast down tomorrow morning, you may go home," he informed Jacob, smiling only half-heartedly knowing that it was the stress from the night's events that resulted in Jacob being sick.

"That's good."

"Did you want something to eat now? I'm sure your stomach would have settled and Esme has leftovers downstairs," Carlisle offered, concerned that Jacob would be hungry given how little he has eaten since being with us.

"No, I'm fine thanks."

Carlisle nodded, then edged closer to Jacob, who knew exactly what he wanted to do next. Without having to be asked, Jacob removed his shirt.

"How do your ribs feel?"

"Fine, but stiff," Jacob repeated for Carlisle and then cringed when Carlisle's fingers touched his skin.

"Sorry," Carlisle whispered his eyes narrowed in concentration as he expertly examined Jacob's rib cage. "Edward was right, your last rib was broken, but it is mending well."

Jacob nodded.

"Stand up for me please, Jacob," Carlisle requested as he stood aside to give Jacob space.

Jacob moved his right arm in a circular motion, his face tightening as he did so.

"Let me see," Carlisle encouraged him and much to my horror, he felt Jacob's shoulder may have been dislocated, but was repositioned in the attack that soon followed. Carlisle did the usual movement tests and when satisfied that Jacob's shoulder was definitely placed in its socket, he asked: "Do you believe your shoulder may have dislocated after you hit the wall?"

"Er, maybe," Jacob replied hesitantly, honestly not being able to determine whether the sharp pain he felt upon hitting the wall was conducive to a dislocated shoulder.

"Well in any case, it is back in the correct position. But that may explain why it is a little uncomfortable. Does your stomach still feel okay?"

"Yeah."

Carlisle nodded his satisfaction. "Well everything looks fine. Make sure you keep hydrated," he reminded Jacob, gesturing towards the glass next to the bed, "and I'll see you in the morning."

"Thanks, Doc," Jacob said as he took a sip from the glass of water and slid into bed.

"Have a good rest, Jacob- I am terribly sorry for what happened tonight."

"It's not your fault," Jacob mumbled, feeling guilty that Carlisle was also apologizing for what he and Rosalie did.

"All the same, it should not have happened," Carlisle said seriously. "Goodnight."

"Night," Jacob yawned.

After Carlisle left, Jacob was struggling to stay awake.

"Go to sleep," I encouraged the boy for I could see how tired he was, but didn't want to give in to it.

Eventually Jacob lay down and after adjusting the pillow and the sheets, he closed his eyes.

'_Night, Edward._

"Good night, Jacob," I whispered as I watched him drift off into a semi-peaceful sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note: So what did you think? Of Jacob's anger, his vomiting again (I know, I'm sorry, that's the last time that will happen), and Edward's intervention? Of Edward's explanation of Rosalie's behaviour? Of course, it does not (by any means) excuse the cruel things she said to Jake, but I hope some of us could feel a little sorry for her for being that terrified, that suspicious, and that insecure within herself that she needs to go such extremes. But feel free to share your thoughts! I imagine that many of you would be curious to know what exactly happened between Carlisle, Jasper and Rosalie down stairs during the beginning of this chapter ie. 'The lecture'. As I have already worked out some outtakes I will write for this story, this will be another one I will add :) I have yet to write these though, but once I have finished posting up 'Trust me', I will definitely work on them. Please remember to review! Thanks so much everyone, you are all amazing! I will post up the next chapter on Tuesday :)


	16. Chapter 15 Honesty

Author's note: Here's the next chapter. I look forward to hearing what you all think of it, so please remember to review when you're done. Thank you all so much, you are amazing readers!

Reply to reviews:

Jaruto: (In reply to your PM)- awww shucks, thanks so much :) We can compromise and say we're both amazing lol :P I'm so glad I made your day a little better, sorry to hear yours was not a good one! :( Thanks for being so optimistic with my story and where it's heading. I hope you like this chapter!

ibeebrookie87: So glad you loved the ending! And I am sooooo glad that you love my story! Thank you! Lol sorry to hear you lost your slice of pizza, but thrilled you were so excited to see an update!

Beni-Gasumi: Thank you so much for reviewing! I feel so privileged! And seriously, your English is not bad at all! Lol, there are still quite a few chapters to go so you won't have to travel half way across the world yet! Lol. At the end of this chapter, I explain where this story is heading from here on in. And finally, thank you for all your compliments!

Sweetie7smiled: Thank you! I'm glad you liked Edward's explanation, and his acknowledgement of their friendship and Jake's strength. And no problem- thank you for reviewing!

Eruhin: Aww, thanks so much, that really means a lot to me- I take a lot of pride in what I've written and how I analyse each of the characters and their personalities. And most importantly, I love writing plausible situations, so I am so glad you agree that the events in 'Trust me' are realistic! The punching moments, I loved writing those! I am so glad you enjoyed the emotional intensity too! And everything else you said was so amazing and complimentary! I totally agree with you :) And I am so relieved that you thought that Edward's explanation was a good one and believable. Wow, it's amazing I was able to make you feel sorry for her (even though I do myself), it's great to hear that I can have that affect on someone! And this chapter, you will get to find out how Rose and Jake's next meeting will go :P I hope you enjoy it! And I can't believe this is your favourite Twilight fic! That is such a huge compliment! Thank you!

'Trust me'

Chapter 15- Honesty

Jacob's POV

The next morning, I woke with a start. I had no idea what caused me to wake; I wasn't having a dream and I hadn't heard anything unusual- or at least, I thought I hadn't. It was still dark outside, probably about 5 in the morning, but I felt semi-rested. I turned over and saw Edward standing next to the bed, his back to me. He was crouched in a defensive position, but I knew he was ready to attack if he needed to. Edward hadn't acknowledged I was awake, yet I was certain he knew.

I went to sit up in bed, intending to ask Edward what was happening; he looked tense. But before I could move, Edward ordered me to "stay where you are." I was about to point out that I could barely leave the bed even if I wanted to, but decided not to say it- Edward sounded too serious to take a smart-arse comment from me. As I was lying down again and getting comfortable on my right side so I was facing the door, I heard what must have woken me up: a hiss coming through Edward's teeth. Yet I couldn't see any threat or hear anything, so I figured he must be reacting to someone's thoughts.

"Who is it?" I whispered to Edward. Heaps of people from Victoria to my pack entered my mind as I considered each possibility. Edward didn't answer- he didn't have to because I heard everything I needed to when the front door opened and four different voices began conversing. I couldn't hear exactly what was being said, but one voice stood out above the other three: Rosalie.

"This is not a good idea," Jasper said as they got closer to where Edward and I waited. They were walking pretty slowly- maybe they were trying to stop Rosalie or otherwise were trying to give Edward time to do… something.

I kept trying to hear what was being said, but they made it difficult for me by talking in their quick chatter- it was probably their intention. Nevertheless, I could hear their gentle footsteps approaching the top floor. I heard Jasper whisper somewhat aggressively:

"He is furious, Rosalie. Do this another time!" he insisted.

I wondered about whose feelings Jasper was referring to; I felt fine- curious if nothing else, so he must be referring to Edward. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward straighten his posture a little, but he continued to stand between me and the door. His eyes were narrowed in concentration.

Two seconds later, Jasper entered the room, his eyes watching Edward like a hawk. Before anyone else entered, Jasper flitted to stand within arms reach of myself and Edward. He placed his hand on Edward's shoulder and the other on mine. Immediately I felt calmer and I assumed Edward did too.

"Edward," Jasper spoke loud and sharp.

"How can you be okay with this?" Edward demanded of his brother, though never took his eyes away from the door.

"I'm not," Jasper replied coolly. "If you listen to Rosalie's thoughts, you will know why she is here. I believe it is her true intention, so I am allowing this to happen… for now," Jasper added, a dangerous ring in his tone.

There was a moment's silence and still no one moved.

Suddenly Edward hissed and for the first time since I woke up, he moved closer to the door. I felt sorry for Jasper as he struggled whether to stay with me or pursue Edward; although his gift worked from a distance, I don't think he thought it would be effective enough for this situation.

I watched Edward approach the doorway in a crouched stance, and I wondered what it would take for the rest of the Cullens to show themselves.

Eventually, when they felt Jasper had the situation under control, Rosalie, Emmett and Alice entered the room.

Emmett led the way, his sole purpose being to protect his wife from his brother. Alice flitted in next to Rosalie. She glanced quickly at Jasper, but didn't move to his side like I thought she would.

"Explain yourselves," Edward ordered through his teeth, his voice was so low I could barely hear it.

"You know why I am here, Edward," Rosalie replied with a sigh.

"Your purpose can be fulfilled another time," Edward insisted.

"Carlisle told us that Jacob would be leaving tomorrow morning. If this is not the case, I will return later," Rosalie stated matter-of-factly.

"Is it because of Carlisle that you are here?" Edward asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice; apparently he had not gathered this from Rosalie's thoughts.

Rosalie snickered, her lips pulled into an unattractive smile when she answered: "Carlisle and Esme have gone hunting- we crossed their path not long ago. I enquired about Jacob," Rosalie looked past Edward's face and stared into mine for a split second before returning back to Edward. "Carlisle said that I should apologise to Jacob before he leaves tomorrow morning. I said no, but Carlisle _insisted_… so that's why I'm here," Rosalie sighed impatiently.

"You are here because Carlisle told you to, not because you want to be," Edward spat.

"Hey, give her a chance," Emmett objected.

"She doesn't deserve one."

"Ha! This isn't about me and what I deserve- this is about Jacob. Don't worry, Edward," Rosalie continued speaking in a taunting tone, "I won't hurt him again."

At this, Jasper left my side and faster than I could see, he stopped next to Edward.

"Edward, I know you are trying to protect Jacob, but I am certain nothing will happen this time," Jasper tried to reassure him.

"Jasper is here now, Edward," Alice tried to reason with him, "and you will know if Rosalie is about to say anything hurtful. If she makes one mistake, does everyone agree that Rosalie is to leave the house immediately and not return until Jacob has left?" She looked around at her siblings. I couldn't see Jasper or Edward's faces, but I saw Emmett grunt in acceptance and Rosalie gave a stiff nod. "Okay then!" Alice said cheerfully. "Let's get this done!" she asserted as she practically skipped to my bed.

It was only then that the vampires remembered I was even there. Through all of this, none of them had ever asked me what I thought or wanted. As it turned out, I was curious to hear what Rosalie had to say. Don't get me wrong, I still hated her guts, but she didn't know how much I knew about her- how much Edward had told me. I saw it as a win-win situation; if she genuinely wanted to apologise, then I wanted to hear it, and if she was not genuine, well then I would have the satisfaction of seeing her being dragged out of the room.

Jasper came to stand by me again, followed closely by Edward who now stared at me, his face concerned.

_It's okay, _I tried to reassure him. Although I felt a little panicked as five vampires surrounded me in what then seemed to be a very small room, I knew that Jasper would sense my fear and calm me down, which he did. But I also knew that Edward would keep his promise; he would never let Rosalie hurt me again.

I turned my attention to Rosalie who was now standing ten feet away from my bed. Her blond hair was shining in the light of the rising sun and her features looked serene- an expression I never thought possible to see on her face.

"How are you?" she asked me in a detached voice, her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized my face.

"Fine," I replied simply.

Rosalie nodded, then took a deep breath before continuing.

"I am only here because I know my family will not forgive me until I have done this. I promise not to take long."

I nodded, then stared at her waiting for her to continue. As I watched her face, I could tell that this was torture for her- having to apologise was punishment enough (in her eyes), though most certainly not in mine or Edward's. I couldn't suppress a smile as I watched her struggle- her small amount of suffering made me feel a bit better. When she did finally open her mouth again, Rosalie spoke faster as if she wanted to get things over and done with.

"I could just say I am sorry for the things I said and the way I behaved, but I know that will not be enough for you or my family. So… allow me to explain." Rosalie insisted, but then stopped as if she didn't know what to say next. After two seconds of contemplation, she continued, staring off into the distance: "I was wrong to do what I did. It is evident to me now that my family cares about you. I have no idea how this could have happened; it is extraordinary to me that such an alliance has even been formed. Nevertheless, it clearly has- and aside from Bella, I have never seen Edward be so protective of anyone since I've known him. Given that he can hear people's thoughts that alone should have told me that your intentions have always been good…" Rosalie paused, her eyes flitting between mine and the window behind me. "I thought my words would hurt you, but not to the extent they clearly have," she whispered, staring out the window. This gave me the opportunity to scruitinise her face when she wasn't staring at me. With interest, I saw her eyes tightened with regret, and I was willing to bet she was remembering the sound of my vomiting as a consequence of the emotional pain she had caused me. Her mouth was also tightening and relaxing as if she was struggling to say something. Eventually, she looked at me again, her eyes softening when they found mine.

"I was wrong," she continued somewhat quietly as if admitting her mistake was highly embarrassing to her. "Your pack is lucky to have you. You never turned against Edward, even though it was clear his actions were perpetuating your anger. You stayed focused on me- clearly, you are not normally easily distracted." Rosalie sighed, and then spoke even faster, so much so that I was having difficulty keeping up with her. "You are determined and strong and you fight well, though I guess it helped that my brother didn't want to hurt you," Rosalie's eyes flitted to Edward's for a moment. I felt Edward tense next to me, but nothing else was said.

"I was also surprised to discover that you were smart enough to realize that my family are not like the rest of our kind. While I will never trust werewolves- we are natural enemies after all- it cannot hurt to have an understanding between our races..." Rosalie stopped talking, but I could tell her mind was still working as if she was pondering what to say next. Taking a deep breath, she continued quickly to hurry up her apology- I had the feeling she was becoming self-conscious that I would begin to think she actually cared, so said the rest in an indifferent tone. "And you are not pathetic- evidently Bella is a nice person and I know that myself, so it is no wonder that you and Edward love her the way you do. You are more controlled than I expected you to be and so, it seems that whatever you were thinking about when Victoria found you, it must have been important- a one-off moment where you lost concentration- not the norm. It was a mistake that you made and we all make mistakes, especially me." I could tell Rosalie had finished because she visibly relaxed and was able to look me in the eye without flitting her gaze to the window.

I stared at Rosalie in disbelief- never did I expect to ever hear her take back what she said about me. She smirked at my reaction, and Emmett chuckled.

"Wasn't expecting that…" I mumbled. Emmett laughed and even Alice trilled in amusement.

Rosalie smiled, her white teeth glistening in the rising sun. "It is not easy for me to trust people or even understand them- I guess because I think too much of myself to try… that's right Edward, I have some insight you know." I turned to look at Edward who was watching his sister, his lips turned up in a subtle smile. "I don't expect your forgiveness, but I will do my best to be civil… for the sake of my family."

Rosalie looked specifically at Edward then, who nodded in acknowledgement. But instead of turning back to me, Rosalie continued to stare at her brother. I watched as Edward nodded again, but then grinned when he saw Rosalie's face scrunch up in evident distaste. "And uh…" Rosalie continued hesitantly, however forcefully. "I want to thank you for not making my mistake worse than it was- my family is right, someone could have been hurt tonight and even if it was you, that wasn't what I wanted… I hope you feel well tomorrow so you can be with your family and friends. I'll let you get back to sleep now. Bye," Rosalie finished rather hurriedly and before I could blink she was almost out the door.

But I wasn't going to let her get away that easily.

"Wait, I want to say something to you," I called after her. Rosalie spun on her heal, Emmett doing the same for he had naturally followed her out.

When I was certain I had her fullest attention, it was my turn to acknowledge my feelings towards the Cullens- in front of the Cullens.

"I never thought I would ever say this, but I have friends here. I do miss my family though. From the moment Edward brought me here, your family have treated me with respect and kindness. It was their actions that led me to realize that the Cullens are decent vampires. You are lucky to be a member of this coven."

_Though you probably don't deserve it._

I heard Edward snort, probably in agreement, but no one asked him for an explanation. Instead, Alice gave me a big smile in response to my spoken comment.

_God, I can't believe I'm saying this; Alice's smile just reinforced how ridiculous I sound._

Edward chuckled, but didn't comment when Rosalie looked at him.

I decided to continue before I lost my nerve with everyone watching me.

"Before you arrived tonight, things were going great; I was supposed to go home first thing tomorrow. Then you came and ruined everything- or at least I thought you did. Let's face it, I may have been able to hurt one of you, but there was no way I would not have survived it. But in the moment, I didn't care if I lost- if I died, because you were cruel and I wanted to hurt you for what you said about me." Edward cringed slightly when I briefly allowed those feelings to encompass me again. Jasper moved closer to us, however subtly. I felt a bit better as I continued talking.

I stared into Rosalie's eyes to impress upon her how much she hurt me- I wanted her to feel guilty, but also to understand what the rest of her family seems to.

"Tonight when I was trying to attack you, all I could think about was proving you wrong- that I am better than you say- that I'm not useless or easily distracted. But really, all I truly wanted was for you to shut up." Rosalie's lips were tightly pressed together as if forcing herself to keep quiet, which I was grateful for; I needed to get through this.

"And you are right," I continued. "Edward was driving me crazy which definitely didn't help things. I wanted him out of the way, but I knew I couldn't hurt him- not after everything he and your family have done for me. But I was beyond angry tonight, I was literally seeing red and that was because of you. Because you felt you could walk in here and pretend you knew me better than the rest of your family- including Edward! You are selfish and vain and I cannot forgive you for what you said- you were purposefully trying to hurt me just to prove a point! But at the same time, I get you were worried about your family. So let me ease your mind if you still doubt my intentions- as long as your family never hurt anyone I love, I promise my pack will never harm any of you. After all, who knows what would have happened if Edward hadn't helped me after I was bitten? I will always remember what your family did for me and therefore, so will my pack."

Finally, my spiel was over- it felt good to get it off my chest. The room was strangely silent- everyone was waiting for Rosalie to respond. I knew she was thinking of what to say to me; she gazed through me as if lost in thought.

Finally, in a quiet musical whisper, Rosalie admitted: "My family were right to trust you."

"They were," I confirmed, staring seriously into her eyes, making it clear that she should never suggest I would hurt the Cullens willingly. "And I am glad I trusted them too. You missed out on a whole lot of action," I added, with a smile on my face, trying to light up the mood a bit. I felt wide awake, despite it being 5:30am in the morning.

Rosalie let out a small laugh, her eyes averting towards the floor.

"I am sure my family will inform me of the events later," Rosalie asserted, looking around at her siblings. I followed her gaze and saw Alice nodding her assent. Typical.

"Nevertheless, I hope none of this happens again," Rosalie concluded and from what I could tell she was referring to all that has occurred for myself and her family, not just the conversation we were having. And I could tell by looking at her face that the main reason for this is because she didn't like her siblings, and Carlisle and Esme being so disappointed with her.

"I'm with you on that one," I told her, to which she smiled; at least we agreed on something.

"Good night," Rosalie said as she headed towards the door.

"Night," I replied as I watched all of them, except Edward leave. I got the general sense that they were all amazed by how well it went. To be honest, I was too. Whoever would have thought Rosalie and I could have a civil conversation? I guess Jasper's gift helped us accomplish this, but even so, I was pretty proud of myself.

I lowered myself back into bed. I knew Edward was hovering near me, no doubt dying to say something to me, but for whatever reason, he didn't speak. I lay down, and looked up at the ceiling. I could feel Edward's cold body sitting two feet away from me, but I never acknowledged him. I swear only seconds went by before I was sleeping peacefully again: only a few more hours until I'd be home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edward's POV

Once Jacob had fallen back to sleep, I quickly went downstairs to partake briefly in the conversation taking place. By this time, Carlisle and Esme had returned, and Rosalie and Emmett had left.

"She apologized? Sincerely?" Carlisle asked again, evidently unable to believe it. "I encouraged her to do so, but I did not believe she would-"

"None of us did, Carlisle," I interjected. My family turned to look at me, all asking the same thing: _How is Jacob?_

I smiled. "Fell asleep within forty-five seconds of lying down," I informed them, amused by the looks on their faces.

"Evidently the conversation with Rosalie did him some good," Jasper commented.

"I didn't think they would both remain so controlled and civil," Alice remarked. "Though of course," she added, giving Jasper a peck on his cheek, "it was all because of you."

Jasper returned her affection, but did not fully accept credit.

"They were not difficult to calm, and once they were, their emotions remained so without any intervention from me. In fact, I was most concerned about Edward losing it," Jasper teased, though of course, he was being honest.

Esme and Carlisle looked at me in disbelief; not quite understanding what happened to make me angry.

"I wasn't willing to give Rosalie a chance- I was listening to her thoughts waiting for her to slip but," I paused, feeling a little guilty, but then remembering it was Rosalie, went back to being more forgiving of myself, "she never did."

"I am so happy this has been resolved," Esme said cheerfully, moving into the kitchen. "Will Jacob want some breakfast when he wakes up?" she asked me, already getting out various ingredients and two frying pans.

"Undoubtedly," I told her, smiling. "He is looking forward to eating and not being sick afterwards so he can return home."

"Does he miss his family a lot?" Alice asked, curious because she had rarely heard Jacob speak about his family.

"Yes," I told her with certainty, "but he does not mind being here," I added.

My family watched me as I ascended the stairs and entered Carlisle's office. Jacob was still resting soundly.

I had never seen Jacob so happy than when he woke up some three hours later. It soon became evident to me that nothing was going to upset this day- the day he could freely leave us. Jacob hardly noticed me when he woke up; he immediately smelt bacon emanating from the kitchen downstairs (I told Esme when Jacob began to stir) and practically leapt down the stairs, one heavy bound at a time.

Esme's ringing laugh could be heard throughout our house as she watched Jacob completely devour five servings of breakfast. I had never seen a human eat so much.

"I would ask you whether you like the food I made," Esme said in gracious sarcasm, "but I think this says it all," she concluded, gesturing to the multiple saucepans and containers that were now empty.

"It was amazing, thank you," Jacob told Esme, wholeheartedly appreciative of the wonderful food.

It was clear to my entire family that Jacob was itching to phase and run through the forest towards La Push, so Carlisle decided to inform Jacob that he needed to wait half an hour, after which he could leave, provided he was feeling fine. There was no doubt in Jacob's mind that in thirty minutes he would be on his way home, so he was quite content in waiting, just to satisfy Carlisle. I was about to suggest that he watch some TV, but to my surprise, Jacob had something different in mind.

"I have a better idea," Jacob said. "I imagine saying 'bye' won't be short and sweet, so maybe we can start now and by the time we're finished, thirty minutes would have passed."

I nodded at him in agreement, then led him into the music room, away from the rest of my family (though of course, they could still hear us).

Despite there being many comfortable lounges, neither of us sat down. Instead, we stood near a window looking out at the forest. I could see the longing in Jacob's eyes- how much he missed it.

"Looking forward to phasing?" I asked, and then quickly added, "By choice?" having remembered the previous night.

"Yeah," Jacob replied. "In a strange way, being a wolf has become a part of me now- I miss it."

I nodded my understanding.

"But before I leave, there are some things I would like to say," Jacob said in a more serious tone, turning away from the window in order to look at me. I met his gaze, but his stare was friendly, not defensive or aggressive.

"I know you probably already know what I am about to say, but I'd like to just say what I have to say, rather than you listening to my thoughts- it's not the same."

"I understand," I told him honestly.

There was a moment's silence before Jacob began talking again. I knew he was trying to organize various points in his mind. I waited patiently.

"Firstly, I want to thank you again, for everything you have done for me. I really appreciate the effort you and your family have made to make me feel welcome and safe. It's been four days since I've been home, and I can't wait to go back. Part of the reason is because when I'm here I don't really feel like me- it's as if I have a whole different life outside of this place," Jacob said, gesturing at the walls in the music room. "But I do, and I can't wait to get back to patrols, hanging out with the pack and… seeing Bella."

Strangely, Bella was hardly mentioned unless she was with us, so Jacob also brought me back to the reality that before he was bitten, he and I were not on friendly terms; we both loved the same girl.

"I know you love Bella," Jacob told me confidently as if he never wanted me to think he didn't understand this fact. "But I love her too, and I know I will continue to do so, no matter what you say or do."

I was about to tell him that I never expected him to stop pursuing her, because it was Bella's choice- her decision and I wanted her to be happy- that was the most important thing. But Jacob didn't let me speak. He stuck up his hand, indicating I should stay quiet so he could continue.

"The most important thing I have learnt these last four days is that not all vampires are monsters. In fact, I see your family as more human than monster, and you have shown me more kindness than I would have expected from a human, perhaps because you have a far larger house and more resources than most people," Jacob joked. "I guess what I am trying to say is that you aren't so bad," Jacob admitted looking away from me and out the window again. I continued to watch him though, his facial expression intrigued me; he looked conflicted.

"But even so, you are still… dead," Jacob said delicately. "I feel stupid saying it, but you aren't living- you move, speak and feel, but you don't have a heart and it's still weird to me that you don't have a heart beat."

Jacob paused as he remembered the first time he realised my chest was empty of a beat. He shivered, but continued to stare out the window.

"I know I'm waffling, so I'm just going to say what I want to say. I love Bella too much to let her give away her life, even if it is for you. This year has been a difficult one for both of us and we developed a strong bond. I know she loves me and I love her, so I hope to use what we have to save her. I just want you to understand that as much as I respect you and appreciate what you have done for me, I cannot stand aside and watch her choose a 'life' with you. A lot has changed between the relationship you and I have, but nothing has changed between me and Bella- I still love her and I'm still going to fight you for her. I just wanted to tell you that," Jacob finished, his final sentence spoken quieter than the rest, his eyes still staring through the window.

"Jacob," I said, trying to get the boy to look at me.

Using his name worked; Jacob slowly turned to look at me.

"I never expected your feelings to change just because you have learnt I am not that bad of a person. Frankly, I would have been disappointed if you stopped fighting for Bella; this shouldn't be about winning, but helping Bella choose who she will be happiest with."

Jacob nodded; he completely agreed with me.

"But I wanted to clarify once more to you, that I do not want Bella to be a vampire," I continued more strongly now. I wanted Jacob to fully understand the circumstances under which Bella would become a vampire. "If I had things my way, Bella would remain human- it is something you and I both want for her. But Bella does not want this. I will live forever, so she wants to too. At first, I fought against her on the issue. However, when I realized that even my family were siding with her, and when the arguments for the transformation were too strong to overlook any further, I unwillingly gave in. But Jacob, this is not what I want for her- she will lose so much- her family, her friends- it seems too great of a sacrifice just for me. But I do love her and to be with her for the rest of my existence would give me eternal peace and contentment."

Jacob looked at me strangely then as if he realised for the first time that for me this wasn't about marriage or winning, but living my eternal life with the only woman I will ever love.

"It seems that we'll both fight for her until she chooses once and for all," Jacob said as if it was the conclusion to come of all of this.

"It seems that way," I agreed. "Thank you for being honest with me."

"You too."

"Is your stomach feeling fine?" I inquired.

"Yep, only," Jacob paused to look at the clock on the wall, "ten minutes to go."

Jacob and I went downstairs so he could say goodbye to my family. It was an awkward moment for all involved. Although Jacob had been with us for a solid four days, my family and he were only just able to tolerate one another's stench. It made farewells quite difficult. Handshakes were given all around, which was simple enough. But Esme went so far as to give him a peck on the cheek; she was so delighted to have another human other than Bella enjoy her food that it seemed to override her instinct to flinch. And Esme is simply Esme, she had a soft spot for Jacob- he's come through a lot. Alice gave Jacob a hug, which was interesting to watch given the huge difference in heights and the screwed up noses exhibited on both sides. The sight made me laugh.

My family stood at the back door as they watched me walk with Jacob towards the forest; half an hour was up and Jacob was dying to phase.

The moment Jacob felt the grass beneath his feet he whipped off his shirt as he ran towards a large oak some ninety feet away.

_I'll be back, _he told me. I watched him run, his thoughts carrying such excitement I had never heard in his mind before. I knew he had phased when an almost deafening howl escaped into the air, a howl which was returned by another wolf… Sam. Jacob was connected with his pack once again. After mentally informing his pack that he would be coming home soon, Jacob left the shelter of the trees to meet me in the middle of the grassy field that separated our house from the forest.

Jacob looked so different than he did the previous night- now he stood tall and proud- he looked free, but yesterday it was as if he were trapped and afraid to be what he is. I smiled at the reddish brown wolf as he walked straight up to me so we were face-to-face. In his human form, Jacob was already very tall, but as a wolf he was taller still, not to mention much stronger, heavier and bigger. I could not believe that only the night before I had wrestled with this creature and forced him to the ground. I only realised now just how massive he is.

_What are you staring at? _Jacob asked out of curiosity- he wasn't self-conscious.

"You," I told him honestly. "You are so much bigger than I remember."

_Well last time you saw me I was trapped in a house, _Jacob pointed out as if I were silly.

I chuckled. "I know. I can't believe I was able to drag you to the ground without breaking something of Esme's," I said in wonder. "It is nice to see you happy though, being outside makes your mind so much clearer and calmer," I told him seriously.

Jacob barked at me and then ran circles around me just to show me how happy he truly was. Deciding that it could be fun to muck around with a wolf, rather than fight them, I chased Jacob slowly (compared to my usual speed) in a circle. I could hear my family laughing from our house as they watched us.

_That's not fair! _Jacob objected, though it was clear he was having fun. _You're faster than the average vampire and running in circles is difficult._

"Dizzy?" I asked him, stopping and standing in the middle of the circle we had been making incase he couldn't stop in time before hitting me.

_Nah, we don't really get dizzy, but I'm kinda big so it's hard to turn in such a tight circle._

"I see," I grinned.

_But we should have a race some time, _Jacob suggested; he was up for the challenge.

I was tempted to suggest we race now, but I knew Jacob wanted to get home and I also missed Bella and wanted to go to school in order to see her.

"We will," I reassured him, "but maybe some other time?"

Jacob nodded his large head. I walked up to him and patted his back.

"Look after yourself," I told him. "Make sure you stay focused around Victoria; I don't want to see you again for at least a month," I grinned.

_I will, don't worry, _Jacob reassured me. _Given our relationship with Bella, I'm sure I'll see you soon._

"Until then, take care. I hope you find your family happy and well."

_Me too._

"You can communicate with your pack out here, could you communicate with them last night?" I asked somewhat suddenly; the thought had only just occurred to me.

Jacob paused at this; he had to consider his answer.

_I probably could've, _he said. _But I don't think I was in the right place to do so, and I don't think they could have heard me either. At such a far distance, we really need to concentrate to reach one another's thoughts. It's easier out here compared to being in a house though._

I nodded my understanding. "You better go; I'm sure they are all waiting for you."

_They are._

"See you soon, Jacob," I said, placing my hand on Jacob's left shoulder blade.

Jacob nudged me playfully, but his strength surprised me; I was forced to take a step back.

_See ya, Edward, _Jacob said cheerfully as he lowered his head into my shoulder for a playful head-punch.

We watched each other for a moment, and then Jacob ran towards his home, excitement flowing through him; he could talk to his brothers once again.

I walked slowly back to my house where my family were still standing, watching me now. When I stepped onto the threshold, I heard a change in Jacob's thoughts.

_Wait! Stop!_

I hissed and began sprinting into the forest; how could I have been so stupid?

But then as soon as I ran, I stopped and listened intently to three different thoughts.

_Are you sure it's him?_

_Yes, I'm positive._

_They all smell the same!_

_I know, but it must be Jacob- Carlisle said he was leaving today._

_I suppose…_

_Damnit I wish I could speak right now- why don't they show themselves?_

I looked into Jacob's mind and saw him in a reasonably open space surrounded by five trees. He could hear gentle, light footsteps in the distance and I knew it was Rosalie and Emmett. Jacob growled as he prepared to attack.

_We need to show ourselves. We should say goodbye…_

_Fine, but in case it isn't him, stay on guard._

Then I saw my brother and sister leap down from one of the five trees. This move was not the best idea, for they landed right in front of Jacob, whose immediate instinct was to attack. But he stopped himself for a split second in order to determine who it was.

"Jacob?" Emmett asked hesitantly, crouched in front of Rosalie ready to fight in case he was mistaken.

Jacob nodded his head.

"You going home?"

Jacob nodded again, happiness filled his mind.

"Stay safe then," Emmett said, walking up to Jacob cautiously, eventually laying a playful punch on Jacob's shoulder. It was then that Emmett saw some clothes tied to Jacob's back left ankle.

"Hey, are those my shorts?" Emmett asked in his usual joking tone. Immediately, Jacob turned around to take them off his leg- he didn't need them after all.

"Woah, no wait, I was just kidding!" Emmett intervened, his hands raised. "Like I said, you can keep them," Emmett grinned, and Jacob gave a single bark in response.

"Bye Jacob," Rosalie said monotonously, but then curiosity overrode her indifference as she slowly ran her hand along Jacob's back. "Your fur is so soft," she whispered.

_Thanks, _I heard Jacob think, with a surprised tone to his thought.

He nudged Rosalie gently on her arm and then gave a small bark goodbye before running towards La Push once again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jacob's POV

My brother's voices were becoming almost deafening as I grew closer and closer to home. Everyone was welcoming me back.

_Thanks guys,_ I said what felt like a thousand times before I finally reached my house. Sam had phased back into his human form and was waiting for me at my dad's place. Dad was beaming when he saw me approach him. I was wearing Emmett's shorts, but no shirt. God it felt good to be home.

I gave my dad a huge hug and told him and Sam what happened last night with Rosalie- the good and the bad. I could feel their outrage at her cruelty, but they were proud of me for staying in control and not hurting Edward. But even so, they were worried that my phasing might have upset the Cullens, especially Edward who had to keep me at bay. I laughed because the reality was completely the opposite. I told my father and Sam how Edward had insisted on comforting me afterwards, by saying that nothing Rosalie said was true, and how proud he was of my control, despite phasing into a wolf.

Once I had finished recounting everything that had happened, it wasn't curiosity, awe, amusement or even pride, that I saw in my father's eyes: it was happiness… happiness that I was home, that I was safe, and that the Treaty was stronger than it has ever been before.

Author's note: Yay! Jacob is safe at home now- well and happy I am so sorry to those of you who were hoping he'd be stuck at the Cullens for longer (perhaps forever lol)! So now for a little spiel so you know whether this story is heading now. The remainder of the chapters in 'Trust me' will portray various important scenes from Eclipse, Breaking Dawn and post-Breaking Dawn, and how these events have changed given the relationship Edward and Jacob now have with each other. Like all the previous chapters, the remaining ones will be told from Edward or Jacob's perspective (with occasional input from other characters).

I have to say that the chapters I have re-written from Eclipse and BD are probably my favourites in my story, so I really hope (when I post them) that you love them as much as I do. While these chapters are written, they still need editing, and the post Breaking Dawn chapters (and the ending of this story, about two chapters worth) still need writing. I will soon be beginning three weeks holiday over Christmas, during which time I will finish 'Trust me'. I want to make this my priority over editing and posting chapters. So I guess what I am trying to say is: until I have completely finished writing 'Trust me' I will only be posting once a week, instead of twice (please don't hurt me!). But rest assured I will definitely have the story finished by Christmas, and on Christmas day I will double post as a gift for you all I know that doesn't make up for it, but it will only be a couple of weeks before things will turn back to normal :)

So please review this chapter, I know it's a little more 'fluffy' than the others, but I am very interested to hear what you thought of Rosalie's apology (or forced apology). When I write the outtake from Rosalie's perspective, it will start from her return home and finish once the discipline given by Carlisle is at an end ie. After Jake goes home. And what did you think of Jacob and Edward's farewell. Realistic? Too corny? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Thank you for being such amazing readers! My next update will be on Saturday (and then I will update every Saturday from that point onwards, not Tuesdays anymore) and I will give you (a very big) hint as to what it'll be about. The name of the chapter is called: "What happens in the tent stays in the tent". Enough said :P Til then, take care and please remember to review!


	17. Chapter 16 What happens in the tent

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed on the previous chapter, I really appreciate it and am glad most of you thought it right that Rose should apologise to Jacob, and that Jake and Edward's farewell outside was a nice way to end Jake's stay :)

So as I said at the end of the previous chapter, from here on in (unless otherwise stated), you can assume that everything that occurred during Eclipse and Breaking Dawn happened _almost_ exactly as they did in canon. In a generic sense, Jacob would have focused a majority of his time on winning Bella's love, which would _not_ (as it did in canon) have involved insulting Edward to her face. I also feel that any confrontations between the rivals would have been less intense than in canon. Essentially, they both have more respect for one another, and focus on developing Bella's love for them, rather than openly warring with one another. But to be clear, they are still rivals and they are still competing, just in a more respectful, less subtle way. For example, I do not envision my 'new' Edward kidnapping Bella to prevent her from seeing Jacob. I actually re-read moments in Eclipse and am horrified by the extent both of them went to keep Bella away from the other! I see my Edward and Jacob as being fair- Edward keeping true to his word that he wants Bella to be happy (knowing that Jake is a decent guy), and Jacob respecting Edward too much to insult/intentionally hurt him. I hope you find these slight alterations plausible given what had developed to date in 'Trust me'.

So, the scenes I _have_ re-written are ones I feel would have changed significantly (given the alterations Jake being bitten by Victoria caused), or ones I simply wanted to rewrite from another character's perspective :) Most of the chapters from here on in are favourites of mine; the scenes created by Stephenie Meyer with a 'Trust me' twist! On a more serious note, this chapter (and many of those following) contain some direct quotes from Eclipse/Breaking Dawn. So please note that these lines were not of my creation, but were taken directly from the corresponding scenes in the novels to which they refer.

I really hope you enjoy this chapter- I am sure the name of this chapter gives away which Eclipse moment this is Enjoy!

'Trust me'

Chapter 16- What happens in the tent stays in the tent…

Edward's POV

It was nights like this that I would give anything to have a body temperature higher than freezing. I was pushed up against the far corner of the tent. My Bella was on the other opposite side, huddled in a thousand blankets, yet still dangerously freezing. I couldn't feel the chill, but the sound of the wind, and Bella's incessant shivering was enough to tell me that humans were not created to live up here. What I would have given to be able to hug Bella close to me and share one another's warmth, I cannot express. Instead I felt isolated from her as I kept the largest gap possible between us. I could tell she missed my touch and I hers- it sickened me that in this weather, my skin would only function to kill her faster.

As I watched Bella rock back and forth, her entire body shaking, I knew I needed to think of some way- any way to keep her warm. Blankets were not enough- Bella had little warmth left to heat them up. She needed another heat source… a heater? Even if I could run home and back, she could be seriously ill by the time I returned. Bella jumped a little when I spoke aloud for the first time in five minutes, and my words were not even directed at her, though of course, everything I did that night was for her.

"Jacob?" I called, knowing that he was just outside the tent. Although he was sitting in the freezing cold, Jacob was quite happily warm in his long red-brown fur.

_Yeah?_

"Could you please phase, come into the tent and close up the door as fast you can so the wind doesn't hit Bella's face for too long?" I requested of him.

Jacob didn't reply, but his thoughts were confused and curious as he obeyed my orders.

"Why do you need Jacob?" Bella asked, a little wary as the tent rustled violently outside as Jacob made his way in.

I was about to tell Bella my plan, but my words caught in my throat when I saw Jacob and his naked torso enter the tent. Suddenly, I didn't want to go through with my idea, but for Bella's health and therefore my own, I needed to allow this to happen.

Jacob stared silently between Bella and I- he guessed correctly the reason why I asked for him and was only too keen to obey. But upon seeing my face and Bella's, he forced himself not to act without my verbal permission, especially given that Bella had no idea what was happening.

I looked at Bella and wondered whether tonight would be the night I found out exactly how she felt about Jacob. Despite the months that had elapsed since Jacob was bitten by Victoria, Bella was infuriatingly keeping her thoughts and feelings to herself when it came to Jacob. I knew she loved me- that could not be denied. But did she also love Jacob, just as he thought she did? It drove me crazy at night when I heard her saying both of our names in her sleep, but now was not the time to worry about that.

"This is the only way for you to stay warm," I told Bella, whose eyes widened in disbelief. I hurried on: "I am hoping Jacob will be able to help out with that…" I trailed off, fighting with myself.

"Edward, it's not necessary!" Bella protested. "I'm fine!" she shouted between shivers.

"You're going to freeze Bella," Jacob said seriously. He knelt next to her to study her blue lips and fingers. She snatched her hand away and stared imploringly at me.

"He's right," I insisted.

"But Edward-" Bella objected once more.

"Jacob-" but I didn't need to finish my request; he was already making his way into Bella's sleeping bag, shirtless as always.

"Wait- stop," I heard myself say before I could prevent it, jealousy raging inside of me.

Jacob paused in mid-motion staring at me with Bella's sleeping bag half opened- a flicker of fear flashed across his face, but he stayed calm.

"You know I can keep her warm," he said gently, watching my face for any sign of aggression.

"I know," I acknowledged through gritted teeth. "But I don't like this-"

"Me neither," Bella grunted through her chattering teeth.

"Nice to know I'm wanted," Jacob said sarcastically but with humour; he knew he had power over me- he and I both knew that he was the answer to keeping Bella safe and warm.

Bella leaned towards Jacob with the intention of pushing him away, but instead she stayed close to him, as if his warmth attracted her freezing limbs. Although Bella was trying to hide it, it was clear to me and Jacob that she needed the warmth her best friend provided. I rested my head in my hands, trying to push my insecurities aside. Everything about Bella's behaviour so far suggested that she didn't want Jacob sleeping next to her except for his warmth, but could I trust that? I knew I had to.

"Let me do this," Jacob requested urgently; now that he could feel Bella's skin next to his, he realised it was imperative to keep her warm.

I nodded my head before looking up to see Jacob sliding in next to Bella once more. This time, Bella didn't object to his presence. She snuggled her head to Jacob's bare chest as he wrapped his arms around her. Bella sighed in relief.

"Your feet are freezing Bella!" Jacob protested, having felt the icy sting of Bella's skin on his own legs.

"Sorry," Bella whispered, though she didn't seem to truly mean it. Bella closed her eyes as she pushed her body closer to Jacob's warmth. Jacob didn't hesitate to hold her even tighter to him (if that was possible); her ice cold feet had been erased from his mind and replaced with much more pleasant feelings.

I stayed hunched up in my corner as I watched the girl I love gaining comfort and warmth from my competition, wishing desperately that I could give her that gift, so Jacob would still be sitting outside. Eventually I could do nothing else but stare at the two of them: Bella was drifting off to sleep while Jacob smelt her hair, his thoughts drifting into fantasies I truly wished to escape from.

"Could you please attempt to control your thoughts?" I hissed through my teeth. Jacob looked up, his eyes wide; he had almost forgotten I was even there. The boy didn't apologise, but he did stop thinking about Bella only because he was preoccupied with how I was thinking.

I saw myself through Jacob's eyes as he watched me run my fingers through my hair, tugging occasionally at the roots. I closed my eyes tight in an attempt to block out the scene in front of me- not that it worked of course; my recollection was perfect.

"I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not," Jacob whispered.

"I know," I said shortly, anger seeping into my tone.

Jacob heard this, and shifted slightly in the sleeping bag, growing uncomfortable with my anger.

"Bella's much warmer," Jacob informed me. "But she still needs me to keep her warm. You know her life is at risk."

"This was my idea, wasn't it?" I demanded, frustrated that Jacob didn't seem to realize how conflicted I was.

_Yes, _and then he chuckled a little so as not to wake up Bella. _What goes around comes around._

I studied the boy intently trying to work out his meaning. Seeing my inquisitive stare, Jacob reminded me of the night he had a fever.

"I was saving your life!" I hissed.

"And I am saving Bella's!" he fired back at me through his teeth. "But if you want me to leave, it'll be on your conscience."

"No, that will not be necessary," I cut across him, just as Bella instinctively wrapped her arms around Jacob's torso. I froze at the sight of her hugging Jacob, so warm and comfortable.

"Edward," Jacob said cautiously, afraid by my frozen stature because he knew it could mean any number of things: fear, anger, sadness… So he interrupted my train of thought. "She's warm- that's what matters."

"That's not how I see it. You have no idea how much I wish I could do what you are doing for her," I told him.

"You think Bella doesn't know that?" Jacob asked me in disbelief. _She didn't want me in here with her, _Jacob reminded me via his thoughts as if he himself didn't want to utter the fact out loud. _Personally I think she's in denial- I know she loves me too, _Jacob teased me. To which I responded by staring at him, trying to work out whether or not I agreed. _But, she wishes you were here instead of me, so relax, _Jacob insisted, drawing out the final word in a playful way, his white teeth glistening in a friendly smile.

I couldn't help but smile a little at this, my eyes averting from Jacob's so I could privately reflect how insecure I was being. Thank goodness Bella wasn't awake to witness this moment.

Jacob loved Bella and like any teenage boy, he had feelings and hopes and… fantasies. It took me a full hour to finally realize that the far too pleasant dreams and thoughts Jacob was having were genuine. He wasn't trying to torture or hurt me. The fact simply remained that he loved her and so why wouldn't he take this opportunity to wish for a life with her? I chuckled at this realization; the relationship Jacob and I had developed was still intact despite our competition for Bella's affection. I wondered what my relationship with Jacob would have been like if Victoria had never bitten him. We'd probably hate each other, so much so that even if he didn't love Bella, he would probably have taken this opportunity to plague my mind with various scenarios depicting Bella and he together, just to anger and hurt me. But this was not the reality I was facing; I was the one to blame for my own disquiet and emotional turmoil.

I was so lost in speculation that I didn't realize my chuckle had woken Jacob.

_What are you thinking about?_

I smiled grimly. "My mind has finally stopped torturing me."

"Have you realised Bella still loves you?" Jacob teased.

"I never doubted it," I told him with more confidence than I felt. Was there a moment when I had?

Jacob laughed quietly. "Never thought you would be insecure- kinda makes me feel good," he admitted, a big smile on his face when he imagined Bella choosing him over me and my perfect, confident exterior.

"I'm not generally the insecure type", I admitted. "But tonight's events have made me think…"

"About what?" Jacob asked, seemingly interested as he shifted Bella slightly so he could sit up on his right elbow.

"Bella's future," I told him seriously.

Jacob's eyebrows raised in surprise. _What? Do you envisage many more freezing camping trips? _Jacob joked._ Think the best life for her will be a warm one with me?_

I didn't answer. But gave a single nod; he wasn't completely wrong.

_You know that's ridiculous._

"Yes, I do. But I love her- I want her to be happy and healthy. When it comes to Bella, nothing is truly ridiculous.

_Backing down so she can have a life with me just so she'll never freeze is definitely ridiculous! _Jacob pointed out, becoming slightly angry- he mistook my reasoning to be a sign of stupidity, which I guess I was when it comes to Bella.

"Perhaps, but believe it or not, I have tried to imagine what Bella's life would be like if she were with you. I want her to explore every option that does not involve becoming a vampire," I explained.

Through the darkness of the night, I could see Jacob's eyes widen in surprise. He did however agree that I should do everything in my power to prevent that fate from falling on Bella.

_How long have you considered other possibilities? _Jacob asked, apparently unable to understand why I would think about such scenarios when I was so in love.

"Ever since I have known you love her," I told him quietly in contemplation. "And it is because I love her that I have tried to consider the best future for her," I added in answer to his thoughts.

_I know we'd like to think it, but I don't think it's up to us to choose Bella's future, _Jacob pointed out, sounding more disappointed than anything else. _But what the hell, I'm curious to hear what you think of me as Bella's future husband, _Jacob laughed to himself.

"In a way, you would be the best partner for her," I began in a whisper just incase Bella should become semi-conscious as she drifted in and out of sleep. "You know the dangers she could be up against and you have the means to protect her. She would be safe with you. You can also provide her with a family, and she would not need to leave her parents and friends in order to be with you," I spoke as if trying to convince Jacob of this fact when I already knew he thoroughly supported my visage.

_I'm the perfect match for her, _Jacob summarised, but in a serious tone.

"Except for one thing," I replied, staring into Jacob's eyes not wanting to miss his reaction when I told him my only reservation- the difference between us. "You may imprint- you may leave Bella just like what happened with Sam and Leah."

Jacob's eyes tightened and a scowl formed on his lips.

_Imprinting is rare, _he insisted. _It will never happen to me._

"But it may," I persisted. "And if it did, you would have no choice but to leave her. But with vampires, we are unchanging- we are only capable of loving one person and for me, that person is Bella. I would never leave her."

_But you did, _Jacob thought to himself without intending for me to hear- one of those thoughts that was just meant to be for him- one he couldn't stop before it started.

I sighed and turned away from him in reflection. He was right; I did.

"I know, but it almost killed me. There are no words to describe how I felt when I wasn't here with her. My existence meant nothing without her in it. I was completely empty."

_She felt the same way, _Jacob told me bitterly- as if I didn't already know.

I looked up at him somewhat viciously. "I will never leave her again- I tried to protect her, but it didn't work- so now I am here to stay unless she no longer wants me."

_Well I'll keep hoping for that day to come. I will never stop waiting for her._

"Unless her heart stops beating?" I questioned him, surprised that he would still consider being with Bella if she was a vampire.

_You never know, _Jacob said shortly. _I am trying not to think about Bella becoming a vampire, _Jacob admitted to me. But unlike Jacob, I had given every option a great amount of thought, including what life would be like if I or Carlisle did turn Bella.

"Well at least as a vampire, she would be stronger and less breakable," I muttered, pointing out the only positive side to my Bella joining me in immortality.  
><em>Make life a bit easier for you, wouldn't it? She wouldn't be human, but at least she'd be safe, <em>Jacob said bitterly, and I couldn't help but agree with him.

"However," I added as an afterthought more to myself than Jacob, "she would not be in danger if I had not become a part of her life to begin with…"

_And any other danger I could easily protect her from, _Jacob pointed out, trying to further his case as to why he would be the best choice for Bella.

I nodded. I looked in Jacob's direction, but saw right through him- I could not stay focused on his face; my mind was lost in speculation.

"A part of me wants her to choose you," I admitted with great difficulty, "but a larger part wants her to myself. I am terribly selfish," I concluded without any hint of humour in my voice. Selfishness was not a trait I wanted to associate with my personality; I usually try to be as selfless as I can, especially with my family. But when it came to Bella and my happiness, I knew my life would never be bearable without her as my wife.

_You speak as if I'm not selfish, _Jacob challenged me, smirking as he did so. _I want her all to my self, and although I can act all friendly around you and may owe you my life, I will be very pissed if I lose her._

Instead of being concerned by Jacob's threat like I should have been, I laughed in spite of my feelings.

_What? _Jacob hissed at me, thinking that I thought he was joking, or that he didn't have a chance of hurting me, which was definitely not true.

"You see this as a competition for her love. You would prefer her to choose you, even if she loved me more. But I am the opposite, I want her to live the life she would feel most happy- with or without me. I suppose, having lived for over one hundred years, I have a different perspective on life and love than you do," I said philosophically, finding it amusing how very different we were.

_Yeah, but the bottom line is we both love her and if it were up to us, we would battle it out and see who won, _Jacob told me, envisaging his wolf-self fighting me to the point of injury. _But it isn't up to us…_

"It's Bella's choice," I agreed, inclining my head towards him. At this moment I felt a little guilty for not having mentioned that I had proposed to Bella some time ago and she had accepted my hand. But I could think of several reasons why I shouldn't bring it up now, one of these being that Bella was still deciding which of us to choose, in her own private way.

_I'm not sure I will trust her choice, _Jacob joked, _she is choosing between a vampire and a werewolf after all!_

I chuckled. "I have been trying to work out who she loves most-"

_Isn't that obvious? _Jacob demanded. _You are her boyfriend, not me._

"Even so, I'm not sure she has thought about her future as extensively as we have," I said smiling.

Jacob snorted. _I bet she has, _Jacob said with certainty. _That's why she cannot decide- why she won't stop seeing me- not that I'm complaining! _Jacob reassured me. _Do you ever wish you could hear her thoughts, so we'd know once and for all?_

"Sometimes."

_Well, I know she loves me, she just won't allow herself to._

"I'm not sure if you're right."

_Do you wish you knew?_

"Most of the time I enjoy the many surprises being with Bella brings, but I will admit that I'm not enjoying this aspect of things…" I trailed off, still staring into space.

_Never_ _thought I would see you feeling insecure- the perfect vampire boyfriend_.

"It is not a matter of insecurity, but fear. It is not that I am concerned she will not choose me, but that she makes the wrong choice, for the wrong reasons.

_Jeez, you think way too much about this… _Jacob almost seemed exhausted by the complexity of my feelings. He wasn't even sure what I wanted anymore and I honestly could not give him a straight answer if he asked. _But don't worry. _Jacob continued, a slight smile on his face. _I see beyond all that- don't think I don't wonder whether Bella will just snap to her senses one day and realize she loves a monster- and that goes for either of us!_

At Jacob's words, I stayed still and unmoving as I thought about what he said. Eventually, I found the part of me that hates what I am- the part of me that feels Bella deserves better. Yes, Jacob was right, I did feel that way to some extent and was interested to hear that he had also considered that Bella may leave both of us for someone normal. But even as I was thinking this, Jacob continued cheerfully:

_But she won't, _Jacob insisted. _Bella's freaky in that way, she loves us for who we are… Me for my warmth and you for smooth, 'perfect' skin, _he teased._ She doesn't care that your skin is as cold as ice, _Jacob added seriously.

"Nevertheless, you have what I lack, and I am not simply referring to skin, but everything. You can give her that I cannot: her family and a family of her own, warmth, a _life_," I whispered bitterly.

_Who's to say she wants all that? Can't you just accept that maybe she just wants you?_

"That's not enough."

_It's enough for you._

"Because I have nothing to lose!"

_Except your sanity, _Jacob pointed out, remembering the moment when he heard from Alice that I had gone to the Volturi.

"That is nothing compared to her life," I spat; Bella's well-being would always come before my own.

_Do you really hate yourself that much? Or do you just love her that much?_

"Hard to say."

_Jeez, and I thought I had issues with becoming a wolf._

I was not about to venture down a road filled with my 'issues' about being a vampire- I already had more than 100 years to dwell on such feelings, and I was not about the share them with Jacob.

"Get some more sleep; you'll need it for the battle tomorrow," I evaded him. Thankfully, the boy took the bait, his concern now focused on the fight ahead.

_Think it will go okay?_

"I hope so. If we can survive the battle with no casualties, it will be a victory in my eyes…"

Jacob nodded in agreement.

_I'll leave first light. If I'm not up by then-_

"I'll wake you."

_Thanks. And I know you probably didn't mean to, but thanks for trusting me with your thoughts… probably not the easiest to thing to talk about, especially with me._

I smiled, appreciating his thanks. "Don't tell Bella- she'll spend the rest of her life trying to prove I am worthy of her- should she choose me of course."

_I wouldn't dare; telling her something like that would probably make her fall in love with you even more! _Jacob scoffed.

"Well we wouldn't want that," I grinned.

_Nope; Edward plays noble and fair, and I want Bella to choose me because she loves me. So… what happens in the tent, stays in the tent, _Jacob chuckled.

"Thank you for that," I breathed somewhat relieved, "but also for listening and for keeping Bella warm. I am very grateful for your presence tonight; I think I would have gone mad if Bella shivered any longer.

_Glad to help and besides, I'm not going to complain about where I am right now… I'm joking!_

"No you're not," I said with a smile. "Enjoy it while you can, because at first light, she'll be mine again," I grinned stupidly, feeling like a teenager.

_We'll see, _Jacob teased._ Night Edward._

"Goodnight Jacob."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jacob's POV

I didn't need Edward to wake me the following morning. Despite being drowsy, I forced myself to get up when I saw sunlight shining through the tent's thin walls. I slowly slipped out from Bella's side so I wouldn't wake her. I could sense Edward's eyes on me, but he didn't say anything. I carefully opened the tent to let myself out. But I wasn't quick enough; the sun beamed brightly on to Bella's face.

"Jake?" Bella mumbled, her eyes squinting against the light. "Where're you going?" she asked groggily.

"Sorry for waking you up Bells, I was just going outside to talk with Seth," I told her. "I'll be back soon," I promised.

I closed the tent behind me, and turned to the left to find Seth sleeping on a large rock.

"Seth," I whispered in his ear, "wake up mate, it's almost time." Seth's left eye opened to stare at me. I didn't know what he was thinking, but I could tell he was not motivated to get up.

"Come on," I encouraged him. "You may not be coming to battle with us, but you need to stay here with Edward and Bella to keep them safe-"

Seth snorted as he stood up and leapt off the rock into what little snow remained in the morning sun.

"Yeah okay, so Edward can handle himself quite well, I suppose, but we need you to stay with them," I persuaded Seth. I felt bad for him because I knew how much he wanted to fight alongside his sister and brothers, but Sam wasn't allowing it; he was only fourteen. Seth walked towards the front of the tent and I followed him, waiting for Bella and Edward to leave the tent so I could say my goodbyes.

"Is the pack ready yet?" I asked Seth, bouncing a little on the balls of my feet- I couldn't wait to kill some vampires.

Seth shook his head, whining a little when he saw my enthusiasm.

"They are almost at the clearing," Edward answered me as he and Bella joined us outside. "You have about… twenty minutes I should think."

"Right, well I guess this is goodbye," I announced cheerfully, grinning like a maniac as I stared at Bella. "I hope you were warm last night," I said to Bella, knowing full well that she was.

Bella's lips pressed together as she crossed her arms. "Yes, thank you," she said defiantly, still not appreciating the smug look on my face- but I didn't care; it was totally worth it. Not to mention all the info I got from Edward. I turned to look at the vampire, who was organizing a very quick breakfast for Bella from his bag. His back was to me, but he had stopped moving; I knew he must have heard.

Even though I knew Edward was standing right there, the guy wanted Bella to be happy- wanted to give her the chance to choose me, so I confidently walked up to Bella and gave her a hug goodbye.

"See you after the battle," I whispered in her ear. At first, her arms lay by her side, refusing to return my embrace, but then she changed her mind and hugged me back, pressing her face into my chest.

"Stay safe," she requested of me, and I had every intention of doing so; Edward could not win her heart so easily.

"Don't worry about me, Bells," I tried to comfort her, hugging her tightly to me. "It'll be over soon."

I tried to move away from Bella, but she wouldn't let me go, her little hands refusing to release the hold she had on my torso.

"Bella, I've gotta go," I gently told her, trying to pries her arms off of me.

"Not for another ten minutes," she said stubbornly.

I looked to Edward for assistance; Bella was right of course, but I was eager to find Sam and begin the battle- I would have time to be with Bella later. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, I could barely stand still.

But instead of encouraging Bella to let go of me, Edward walked up to us, kissed Bella on the top of her head and said: "I'll give you a moment to say goodbye." Then he and Seth left, walking further up the mountain.

_We've already said goodbye! _I hissed at Edward. I heard his quiet chuckle. At first I was annoyed with him, but I quickly snapped out of it; I had Bella all to myself now.

"Bells," I said gently, pulling her away from me to look at her face, her eyes bright.

"I'm sorry for being so mean to you last night," she blurted out.

I laughed. "It's okay, I knew you were acting that way because you didn't want Edward to know how happy you were to be with me," I teased her. She elbowed me in the ribs, which probably did more damage to her than to me.

"I love Edward," she told me simply.

"Yes, but you love me too," I insisted, bending down slightly to look into her beautiful brown eyes, "you just won't admit it."

"I love you as my best friend, nothing more," Bella asserted, the same argument she has been using all this year. Well, I wasn't buying it.

"I don't believe you- even Edward isn't sure what to think-"

"What?" Bella exclaimed in disbelief.

"We were talking last night and he thinks that I might be right."  
>"Yeah, you only <em>might<em> be!"

"Ah ha! So it's a possibility then? Good, I'm getting one step closer," I replied in jest.

"You guys didn't argue or anything last night did you?"

_Ha, yeah right, _I chuckled to myself. "A little," I lied. "I'm surprised you didn't hear us; you really are a deep sleeper."

Bella was horrified and I cracked up laughing; I couldn't help it, it was so fun joking with her.

She slapped me hard on the arm and demanded to know what we argued about.

I stared at her face and could see she felt guilty… for something that didn't actually happen. I smiled playfully as I eased her conscience: "I'm only joking Bells, we didn't fight."

Bella growled and turned her back to me.

"In fact, we came to an agreement: we both want you to be happy."

Bella stared at me in shock; her mouth was opened slightly, and her eyes were popping.

"Okay, I guess that's not really believable. Allow me to rephrase," I paused to clear my throat for dramatic effect. I could tell Bella was trying hard not to smile, her lip twitched occasionally as she waited patiently for me to speak.

"Edward wants you to be happy, I on the other hand, want you to choose me because I _know_ I can make you happy," I explained, emphasizing carefully the difference between my intentions and Edward's.

Bella stared at me guiltily and soon her eyes were filling with tears.

"Bella, what's wrong?" I asked; I didn't think my attitude would make her upset.

"Why do you keep doing this Jake?" she asked me through her sobs. "You know I love Edward- he is my boyfriend, not you. Why put yourself through all of this pain- I don't love you-"

"Only because you won't admit it to yourself- we haven't had enough time together for you to realize that you love me too," I half consoled, half persuaded.

"But I don't!"

"You do, you just won't allow yourself to feel it," I insisted

"Because it won't do any good, Jake! It is not possible for me to love you more than Edward."

"But there _is_ a possibility you love me?" I cut in, my voice rising in anticipation.

But Bella ignored my question. "I don't want to hurt Edward more than I already have. He has no reason to be jealous of you, and I hate it when you guys fight over me."  
>"But if you love me too, then we'd both like to know. He wants you to be happy."<p>

"I _am_ happy- with him!"

"Yet, you won't let me go."

"Because you're my best friend!" Bella tried to convince me, tears still pouring fast down her cheeks.

"No, because you cannot choose between us."

Bella froze momentarily, staring at the ground in thought. I waited for her with bated breath- hoping, praying that she would say the words I have always wanted to hear from her.

"I didn't mean to-" she eventually blubbered, truly upset now, and with it came a fresh wave of tears. I was shocked to realize that she honestly didn't know what she had been doing.

"You're not a cruel person, Bella," I reassured her, hugging her to me again. Her face was wet with tears, though they dried quickly on my warm skin.

"I should have let you go- how could I have done this to Edward- to you!"

"It's not a matter of should, but _could_ you have let me go?" I challenged her.

"I don't know," she whispered sorrowfully into my chest, too caught up in her emotions to realize that our time was up.

"Bella," I said gently, not wanting to have to do this to her, but knowing I didn't have a choice; she was so close to making the revelation I have been working towards for months for me to leave her now. "I am going to battle very soon- you may never see me again," I said gently.

"Don't say that!" Bella objected, hitting me on the arm, truly horrified at the possibility.

"Don't you want to know how you truly feel about me? Otherwise you'll always be wondering whether I'm right," I pointed out.

Bella stared at me blankly as if considering exactly what I was asking her to do.

"It's okay to let yourself feel what you feel Bella," I encouraged as I placed my hands on her hips and rested my chin gently on her head. We stood there for a minute, waiting for her to say what I hoped she would: 'Jake, I love you.' But she didn't.

Bella pulled away from me… I saw in her eyes an emotion I had never seen before. She grabbed on to my shoulders and pulled me down towards her and kissed me gently on the lips. My mind and body were shocked. My lips moved against Bella's in a rhythmic motion, delighted to finally have the opportunity to kiss her for real; the first time didn't really count. I wrapped my arms around Bella's waist and pulled her closer to me as our kiss became deeper and more passionate.

Time stood still in that moment I had with Bella- it was like nothing I had experienced before. To finally feel her let herself go and express how she felt with me, just made me love her even more. Unfortunately, the moment didn't last forever. I heard footsteps and the sound of tree branches being pushed aside.

_Shit._

I forced myself to remove my lips from Bella's, as painful as that was, so we could talk a bit more about what all of this meant to her before we were interrupted. But I was too late.

I stared in the direction of the tent as Edward and Seth returned to the camp. All of us, including Seth stared at Edward in anticipation for his reaction. The vampire's expression was blank, his body tense and unmoving, which is what made this moment both scary and dangerous.

"Edward," Bella whimpered, seeing the pain on her boyfriend's face, her hand covering her mouth in guilt.

I watched Edward stare at her, his face softening a little, but his eyes remained tight and his body didn't move.

_Edward, _I thought quickly- wanting to bring the vampire's attention back to myself, for I felt it was my fault that Bella kissed me, even though I wasn't expecting it.

Edward stared at me and I had a feeling that he was completely at a loss as to what to say… to either of us. I slowly approached the vampire, my arms as relaxed as I could make them, hanging harmlessly by my sides. Seth ran to stand in front of me, a pleading look in his eye that said: 'Don't go any closer; I don't want you to get hurt.'

"It'll be okay," I whispered to him quickly, before turning my attention back to Edward.

Seth whined uneasily as he stepped away from me as he too, focused his attention on Edward, ready to attack should I need him.

I thought that Bella would be at my side, but she was frozen to where she was standing, unable to move, whether due to guilt or fear, I couldn't tell. Either way, I needed to explain to Edward what happened.

_You weren't supposed to see that, _I told him guiltily.

Edward tilted his head slightly to the side, his eyes wide and staring into mine.

"Why?" he asked, in a dangerous growl.

_Bella didn't want to hurt you- and neither did I! _I explained. _You gave me the opportunity to help Bella admit her feelings for me- and she did-_

"I gathered that," Edward said icily.

_We're one step closer to helping her choose, _I persisted, trying not to let Edward's tone discourage me from saying what I needed to say. _Now she knows she loves me too- that's good, right?_

"Was it necessary to kiss her to prove it?" Edward hissed through his teeth, evidently pissed I went to that extent.

_It wasn't my decision, _I told him, holding up my arms in surrender. _Bella kissed me- I never told her to! _I insisted.

At the most perfect moment, Bella snapped out of her silence.

"It was my fault, Edward. Please don't hurt him!" she cried. "I kissed Jacob first," she said more quietly, evidently ashamed of what she had done.

Edward looked briefly over at Bella. I could tell he was sad Bella was so upset, and the look in his eyes told me that he had already forgiven her. God, this guy was insane; no matter how much pain he was feeling, he would push it all aside just to make Bella happy.

_Don't blame Bella for this. I didn't exactly stop her, _I smiled grimly. _I- I know you're angry, even if you're not showing it. I guess what we talked about last night was always speculative until now… now it may actually happen- she may choose me, _I thought gently, not wanting to sound threatening, but understanding. _You can hate me, but please… don't punish her for this._

Suddenly Edward moved closer towards me. Bella squeaked in anticipation, her feet approaching us through the snow. Seth bared his teeth in response to Edward's movement, but he didn't take action; so far, Edward was still in control.

I watched Edward apprehensively, as his eyes narrowed and he pressed his face right up to mine.

"Please don't hurt him Edward!" Bella pleaded, not certain what I had thought to cause such a reaction in the vampire.

But Edward ignored Bella, possibly for the first time in his life. He focused on my face as he stood as tall as he could in order to whisper in my ear so the others couldn't hear him:

"I still love her- I would _never_ punish her for how she feels about you."

_I know- I know, _I rectified, a little panicked by the harsh tone he used.

But Edward didn't try to hit me like I thought he might. Instead, I saw in his face, the same expression from the night before. Any doubts he had were now tenfold and that was because of me. I was the one who encouraged Bella- I was the one who couldn't wait for her to work it out on her own. I was happy and let's face it- I could never be as noble as him. I wanted answers, and now I had them. Bella didn't need to say 'I love you'… her kiss said it all.

Edward's entire face darkened. I quickly forced myself to think about something other than the amazing kiss Bella and I shared.

"You need to leave," he told me in a stern, almost toneless voice which I didn't think was possible for a vampire.

I nodded and immediately left Edward's side to clap Seth on the shoulder in farewell, and then finally gave Bella a hug.

Bella's arms lay by her sides, probably too scared to return my hug when Edward was watching, afraid of what he might do.

"Is he mad at me?" she whispered in my ear and I knew new tears were forming in her eyes.

"No, he's handled it better than I thought he would," I told her honestly. "You may want to talk to him though," I encouraged her. "I'll see you after the battle."

"Bye Jake," Bella said tearfully.

I turned to look at Edward again and saw that he hadn't moved at all since I left him.

_At least we know now, _I said to him. He stared at me for a moment, but didn't reply. Bella kept looking between us trying to work out what was happening.

All of us turned towards the north when we heard a wolf howl.

"They are waiting for you," Edward told me in an emotionless tone.

"Right," I said, remembering that we all had a lot more to get through today. "Stay safe Bells," I muttered over my shoulder.

"You too," she whispered.

I looked briefly at the faces of Seth and Edward, my eyes resting on Edward- my body was reluctant to leave.

_I'm sorry, Edward, _I said again, really hoping that he knew I meant it; I knew he was in pain even if he wouldn't admit it to me and especially, to Bella.

Forcing myself into the forest towards the direction of the clearing where my pack were meeting the Cullens, I raced towards a large tree, took off my shorts and phased into a wolf.

_Stay safe, Edward, _I thought to myself, loud enough for Edward to hear. I then bolted towards the clearing- I could tell by the tension in Sam's thoughts and the atmosphere on the mountain that the battle was going to start soon.

Despite knowing what was waiting for me when I reached the bottom of the mountain, I kept focusing on Edward and Bella's voices, trying to hear what was happening back on the mountain top. I had to strain my ears in order to hear what they were saying.

"I'm so sorry Edward," I heard Bella say, crying again.

"Shhh," Edward soothed her.

"I never wanted to hurt you- I don't know what came over me," she insisted in between sobs.

"I know you love me, but you cannot help the way you feel."

"I don't know how I feel about Jacob... I feel so confused," she admitted, sounding helpless.

"You love him," Edward told her simply, as if it was something he'd known all along. I was shocked by how easily he said those words, but grateful nevertheless. "It's okay to say it out loud," Edward encouraged Bella.

"You're not mad at me?" Bella asked, her tone fearful and I knew that if Edward said 'yes', Bella would never forgive herself.

"No, I'm not," Edward said simply.

"You should be!" Bella protested.

"I am not going to punish you for how you feel, Bella," Edward told her gently. "All I want is for you to be happy."

"I'm happy with you! You looked so upset before- I couldn't believe I had done something to hurt you so much," Bella said tearfully.

"The pain is worth it as long as you're happy. Now come on, you need to eat something; the battle is about to begin."

After that, I didn't hear either of them again; my mind was becoming full with battle strategies being devised by Sam. I forced myself to focus; the wolves and the Cullens were gathering together, and we had a battle to win.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note: Firstly, a quick note. As you may or may not have noticed (I only relised this after re-reading parts of Eclipse) Edward does not mention his engagement to Bella in this scene, so Jake does not know about this yet. This issue will be addressed later.

So, now that these scenes are from the books Stephenie Meyer has written, I am very eager to hear what you guys think- have the events of 'Trust me' naturally led to these changes in canon? As you can probably tell, I changed things around a little bit so that it was Edward, rather than Jacob, who thought of using the latter's warmth to comfort Bella. I also made Bella actually kiss Jake without him needing to threaten his life; I honestly think that being less competitive would have made both Jake and Edward more attractive in Bella's eyes, but perhaps that's just me. What did you think of these two changes? And Edward's reaction to that kiss? I hope you appreciate the reference to the fever scene from a few chapters ago! Please let me know your thoughts! Next chapter is called 'Broken' and you can probably imagine which moment this chapter refers to. This moment is split into two parts, and I will post them _both_ up next Saturday as a Christmas present :) Broken (parts 1 and 2) are probably right up there in terms of my favourites, so I really hope you like it. See you next week! And in the mean time, please remember to review! Thank you!


	18. Chapter 17 Broken Part I

Author's note: I hope everyone is having a wonderful and safe Christmas! I noticed that I don't have as many reviews from my previous chapter, so I imagine you are all very busy (it always is this time of year!). But thank you so much for those who did review (your responses are below).

So as you can tell (from the emails you would have received) that this is a double post! Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you enjoy my present :P As I said before, the combination of these chapters is yet another of my favourites because it shows a scene we never saw (only heard about) in canon, plus it would now be quite a different scene given the events in 'Trust me'! So I'm sure you've worked out which part I'm referring to by now. So in writing this chapter, I wanted to show Edward's perspective on these events and also incorporate how Jake's stay with Cullens may have changed their interaction. And although it is one of my favourites, I found it quite difficult to write because there is a huge array of emotions throughout, and I was trying to keep it as realistic as possible. Consequently, I'd be very interested to hear what you guys think of my version of what likely happened after the battle :) And just to clarify, the events that occur between Jacob leaving the mountain top and the beginning of this chapter are identical to canon. Happy reading! I can't wait to hear what you think!

Reply to reviews:

: Thanks so much for reviewing! I really appreciate it and I hope you continue to do so :) As I wrote above, the battle isn't different :( I'm sorry if you were hoping it would be! Nevertheless, I hope you find this chapter enjoyable!

Eruhin: Thank you for your review! I loved reading it, especially when you so accurately portrayed how Jacob felt towards Edward throughout the previous chapter. They really do respect one another more, and I am glad the convo between Bella and Jake flowed smoothly! I have a feeling you will love both this chapter and part II- there is a lot of Jake and Edward interaction! Please let me know what you think!

1sweetmoment: Thank you so much for your amazing review! I am so glad you loved my version of the tent scene and the events that followed! And yes, they most definitely are in a much more mature and respectful place than they were in Eclipse. I loved all the intricacies of your review- in this scene a sign of Edward's maturity (from canon) was his suggesting Jake keep Bella warm. And you're right, it was very human for him to almost change his mind a second later! Jake's development was shown in his respect for Edward and his supporting Edward with the knowledge that Bella does love him. And I think you are so right about this scene- an unspoken bond (in canon and my story) was definitely formed, strengthening the friendship they already have. And you are right, they don't always have to agree, but they respect one another and that especially comes out in part II I think And finally, I also think my kiss scene was better (if I may say so myself!) in that I didn't like it when Jake manipulated Bella in canon. I see my Jake and Edward as being for more respectful and mature given what happened in the previous chapters of 'Trust me'. So thank you so much, once again, for your insightful and detailed review! I ALWAYS look forward to reading your comments! I hope you enjoy these chapters!

'Trust me'

Chapter 17- Broken Part I

Edward's POV

"They managed to get Jacob to phase back," I informed Carlisle as we ran towards the Black's house. From where I was, I could just pick up Jacob's thoughts, and due to the complexity of his emotions, I knew he was human again.

"Can you hear their plan?" Carlisle whispered to me.

I paused, listening intently to Sam's mind, for his was the one I could recognize the easiest aside from Jacob's, knowing that Jacob's mind was preoccupied with his pain, which I was trying to avoid.

"He's not thinking about it at the moment; he is talking to Charlie," I reported back to my father.

"We must be discreet," Carlisle responded as he considered possible ways of accounting for Jacob's extensive injuries without bringing werewolves and vampires into the story.

Finally, Sam began telling Charlie what had happened: a motorbike accident.

"They have decided that Jacob was injured in a motorbike accident," I informed Carlisle.

"Very well then. Where is he now?"

I tried to look through Sam's eyes, but his back was facing away from the centre of the room. I switched to Charlie's- not an easy task and saw that 5 members of the pack, Charlie and Billy were all squished into the one room, where Jacob was lying on a portable bed much too small for him. I told Carlisle what I saw hurriedly for we were almost at La Push.

"We will need to transport Jacob to a private room before we examine him properly- I do not think it would be good for Charlie to hear the extent of Jacob's injuries. I will briefly look over him and then tell Charlie he will be fine-"

"I can then tell him that Bella should be home soon and she doesn't know about Jacob- that will give him an excuse to leave," I contributed to Carlisle's plan, knowing full well that Bella already knew Jacob was seriously injured, but nevertheless, it was the only plausible excuse I could think of.

"Good idea," Carlisle commended me.

Finally, a small house which we knew to be the Black's came into our view. Remembering that we were supposed to have only just returned from a camping trip, Carlisle and I knocked on the door rather than barged in like we both desired to do.

Sam answered the door and held it open for us.

"Thank goodness you're here," he whispered to us as we walked past. Billy looked on the verge of tears, deeply saddened by the amount of pain his son was in, as he approached us and shook Carlisle's hand and then my own.

"Thank you for returning early from your camping trip to see my son," Billy said loud enough for the entire room to hear, except Jacob who was in tremendous agony. It took most of my self-control not to race to the other side of the room and begin to examine him myself. Carlisle was feeling similarly, but we needed to attend to our 'cover' before we could concentrate on Jacob.

"No problem at all," Carlisle said courteously.

As we walked into the room, I saw Paul and Jared leave; they pretended they were giving us space, but I knew it was because they couldn't stand being near us, for personal and instinctual reasons. I looked around to find that Seth and Leah were also absent- perhaps they had returned to their mother's after the battle to inform them of what had happened to Jacob.

When I was able to see Charlie's face, I saw that he was grinning; a reaction to hearing how civilly Billy and Carlisle were talking- apparently Charlie never liked it that the two of them were not on good terms before. Ironically, he was the only one in the room who didn't know why. Despite the friendly relationship that had developed between my father and Mr Black as a consequence of Jacob being bitten by Victoria, Charlie had not been aware of the friendship until that moment; apparently there was never an occasion for Billy to bring up the fact during the past year.

I decided to speak to Charlie as it was paramount to get to Jacob without having to hide what truly happened.

"Charlie," I addressed the man, walking closer to him so I didn't have to shout. Charlie, who was standing a couple of meters from the bed Jacob was lying on, watched me intensely as I approached him; he wondered what I was doing here and why Carlisle needed me given I was not a doctor but a seventeen year old boy. I was about to begin my charade with Charlie, when I caught sight of Jacob. The boy's eyes were closed; he couldn't move the right side of his body due to experiencing excruciating pain whenever he tried. I stared at his body, his bare chest rising and falling in shallow breaths, his arms which were not sitting right, and his ribs which were severely bruised. Jacob was constantly moaning in pain, wincing every time he took a deep breath, which he tried to avoid. I did my best not to show how much I cared for Jacob, knowing that Charlie would question why, but I felt my mouth turn into a frown and my eyes tense as I shared Jacob's pain. Charlie nevertheless registered almost immediately that I was worried about Jacob, and much to my surprise he concluded that I was a decent guy, even to the person who was competing against me for Bella's love.

"Charlie," I began again, forcing myself to turn away from Jacob's tortured face to look at Bella's father, "Alice called me not long ago saying that she will be dropping Bella home in ten minutes. Bella does not know what has happened to Jacob- I am needed here, so I would really appreciate it if you could tell her for me," I requested of him in my best acting voice.

"No problem," Charlie answered, as Carlisle approached Jacob and gently prodded various limbs on his left side.

"A couple of shattered bones, but nothing too serious," Carlisle concluded.

Charlie nodded. "Keep me posted," he said quietly to me, "and look after him," he said a little louder so Carlisle could also hear, even though he knew his words were unnecessary given the empathic way I had reacted to seeing Jacob's injuries. Everyone in the room watched as Charlie left the house. I encouraged them to stay quiet until I had difficulty hearing the man's thoughts. The moment he was out of my range and therefore, definitely out of hearing range, Carlisle and I started organizing those who remained.

With the help of Sam, Embry, and Quil, Carlisle and I managed to get Jacob safely into one of the back spare rooms. It was small, but the bed was sturdier and there was enough room for Carlisle's medical equipment which we had brought with us.

Carlisle turned to a distressed Billy and a highly concerned Embry and Quil.

"Sam informed me that other vampires arrived after the battle. Did they cause any trouble?" Billy asked, his voice trembling; he feared hearing of further complications.

Carlisle shook his head. He could have explained about the Volturi, but decided against it; Jacob was far more important at that moment.

"Nothing we could not handle."

Billy nodded. "Do you think he will be okay?" he asked my father, looking towards the bed. He could not see Jacob due to being in a wheelchair, but he was deeply worried.

Of course, contrary to what Carlisle told Charlie, Jacob did not just have two shattered bones, and the damage was not on his left hand side. But due to the severity of the injuries, Carlisle did not want to do a mock examination on Jacob's injured side- it would only cause him unnecessary pain.

"I will need to examine him more thoroughly. Internal bleeding will be a concern, especially if any bones have broken and pierced an organ. It will be a very long night for Jacob, but I intend to stay until I know exactly what needs to be done. I understand that werewolves heal very quickly, so no matter the damage, I am sure Jacob will make a full recovery," Carlisle said optimistically, moving to the opposite side of Jacob's bed to the one I was standing on.

"We will leave you to do what you must. Please keep us updated and do not hesitate to ask if you need us to get you anything," Billy asserted, his tone full of gratitude.

"We will," Carlisle promised. "Please close the door behind you."

Billy raised his head slightly so his voice could be heard clearly by his son.

"You'll be okay, Jacob," he soothed.

I heard the saliva in Jacob's mouth move- his lips were working, but he was not up for talking- the pain was too much to do anything else except breathe. I was about to explain this to Billy, but he already understood. He, Embry, Quil and Sam left in silence, all of them looking solemn and concerned.

The moment the door snapped shut, Carlisle and I both started speaking at the same time; Jacob had hardly made a sound since we arrived.

"Talk to me Jacob," I encouraged him, as Carlisle whipped out his stethoscope.

_What are you doing here? _Jacob demanded of me. I was not expecting this.

"I am here because I am worried about you, and given my gift, I am useful to Carlisle."

"Jacob, tell Edward how you are feeling for me please," my father asked urgently, eager to get started.

But Jacob ignored Carlisle's request.

_Why are you here helping me? I kissed Bella!_

"Bella kissed _you_," I corrected him. At this, Carlisle stopped momentarily to look at me, but I didn't return his gaze. His thoughts were confused, but he knew that now was not the time to discuss what had occurred on the mountain top that morning. "Remember, we resolved this already. My only qualm was that you thought I would punish Bella because of how she feels. Now, please tell Carlisle how you are feeling."

_You're not mad? _Jacob asked in utter disbelief.

"How is it that you are in so much pain, but are continuing to discuss matters that are highly unimportant compared to your health? No Jacob, I am not mad at you, I am worried for you, so please talk to us," I insisted, half annoyed, half pleading with the boy.

Jacob stared at me to make sure I was being serious. Eventually he turned away from me to look at Carlisle.

"The right side of my body was killing me… I- I think my bones are broken," he whispered, his breathing labored due to the pain caused by talking.

"You cannot feel them?" Carlisle asked.

"No," Jacob muttered; he was worried because he could feel them before.

"Your body is in shock- but I am almost certain the pain will return. What about your abdomen?"

"Hurts to breathe- feels like I've been kicked in the stomach a thousand times. I haven't let anyone touch me- I'm scared my bones will shatter- stop!" Jacob protested as Carlisle went to put the stethoscope to Jacob's chest.

"I need to listen to your heart-"

"My heart's fine!" Jacob shouted, trying to push Carlisle's arm away with his left hand, but then winced as his ribs protested at the exertion.

"Jacob," Carlisle said gently. "I promise to be very careful."

"Please don't touch me," Jacob pleaded. His breathing hitched in panic, which only made it more difficult for him to breathe.

"Calm down, Jacob," Carlisle soothed. "I know you are scared and it feels like your body is falling apart, but without the ability to x-ray your skeleton, this is the only way of knowing what damage has been done-"

"Then take me to the hospital, I don't care," Jacob insisted; as long as he could avoid being prodded, he didn't mind.

"The hospital is on the other side of Forks, it will take too long to-"

"One of you can drive!" Jacob persisted, knowing we were capable of driving faster than an ambulance, as he tried to heave himself off the bed. Gently, I placed my hand on his good shoulder, standing over him so he wouldn't dare move any further, lest his ribs come in contact with my body.

"We don't have time Jacob; we're here now, and your family is here. Let us examine you first and if there is an injury you are not healing from, then we can take you to the hospital," I told him calmly.

"But in the mean time, you need to let me do what I need to do to help you get better," Carlisle patiently requested as we helped Jacob lie back done.

Feeling disheartened, hoping that he could have avoided our examination, Jacob closed his eyes. Carlisle and I stood in silence as we watched him, waiting for him to give us permission to do what he feared. I was trying to listen to his thoughts, but they were clouded with fear- a disarray of feelings and beliefs I couldn't quite make out.

"I don't understand, I should have healed by now," Jacob started babbling, which allowed me to partially decipher some of his thoughts, but they were still not clear. His fear perpetuated his hesitancy which, despite the immense amount of patience my father possessed, caused Carlisle to become even more eager to examine his patient.

"I am certain you are healing," Carlisle said gently and with conviction. "It is for this reason that I need to look-"

"No!" Jacob protested feebly moving his arms over his body, too afraid to even touch his own ribs.

Carlisle was about to gently protest, but I decided to intervene before he could begin.

"Jacob, look at me," I said quietly as I kneeled next to the bed. When the boy was sure my father wasn't going to touch him without his permission, Jacob turned his head with some difficulty, finally resting his tearful gaze on my face. "What are you scared of?" I asked him.

Jacob's face was frozen for a moment, his mind blank.

Then finally he said aloud: "It will hurt," feeling foolish and child-like, but his fear was valid and truthful, and we both knew it.

I nodded my head. "Yes, even though everything feels numb at the moment, it probably will hurt. But Carlisle and I promise to be gentle. We will examine you as quickly as possible. We need you to pay attention to what we are doing though, because we need to know what hurts and what does not. When we are finished, then we can give you morphine, and you can have a much deserved rest, but the longer you try to delay us, the longer it will be until the pain goes away," I reasoned with him as I gently rubbed his left arm with my hand.

Jacob sighed in resignation, a small sob escaping from his lips. Finally he nodded.

_Please be careful, _he begged of me. I gave him a reassuring smile and then tilted my head towards Carlisle to let him know we can begin.

Jacob flinched a little when my ice-cold skin touched his torso. I began moving my fingers delicately over each of his ribs. I paid close attention to his thoughts, but nothing I did seemed to hurt him. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Carlisle. Under the light, Carlisle could see the dark bruises that covered Jacob's right ribcage. He was trying to work out the best way to examine Jacob whilst hurting him as little as possible. Eventually, Carlisle very gently moved his fingers along each of Jacob's ribs. Jacob's breathing became rapid in anticipation as he watched Carlisle's fingers move.

"Hmmm, I think these three ribs," Carlisle indicated by resting his finger tips on the middle three, "are shattered, but I cannot be certain without pressing a little harder." Carlisle looked to Jacob who immediately shook his head.

"I trust you," he told Carlisle, "you don't need to be sure."

"I would prefer to be certain and I also want to examine you for internal bleeding," Carlisle said gently, moving his hands towards Jacob's abdomen.

"No!" Jacob hissed, moving his left hand to block Carlisle's. Carlisle turned his attention to Jacob's face.

"I will be as quick as I can," Carlisle reassured his patient, feeling a great deal of sympathy for the boy.

"Please- please don't," Jacob begged. "I feel I'm going to fall to pieces- literally."

Carlisle kneeled down next to Jacob's head so they were face to face.

"I understand, but it is important for me know every injury you have so I can work out the best treatment for you. Your efficient healing abilities should protect you from any serious damage, yet for whatever reason you are still in tremendous pain. I need to know what is causing this," Carlisle implored, trying to get Jacob to co-operate.

"The sooner we know what injuries you have, the sooner we can give you morphine and the pain will go away. Until then, Carlisle needs you to be awake so you can tell him what hurts and what doesn't," I reiterated, hoping the reminder would motivate Jacob to obey Carlisle, as I too, desperately wanted Jacob to be pain free so his thoughts would be a little easier to handle.

Jacob looked between myself and Carlisle, feeling like he had no choice but to endure the pain until Carlisle had completed the examination.

"Okay," Jacob gave in, not looking at us, but at Carlisle's hands, his eyes wide and glaring.

"Thank you Jacob, I will be as fast as I can." Then Carlisle resumed examining Jacob's ribcage.

Jacob cried out in agony when Carlisle added more pressure on his fourth rib which was definitely shattered.

_Jacob! _Billy thought as he wheeled himself as close as he could to the door.

"Jacob's okay, Billy," I reassured him, speaking loud enough so the man could hear.

_Alright… thank you, _Billy replied, but didn't seem to truly believe me. I would give him a full update when we knew every injury Jacob had endured.

"This rib has been shattered, but it doesn't look as if any of the pieces have split off," Carlisle said, more to himself than to me or Jacob.

Carlisle then pressed on the fifth rib.

"Argh, fuck!" Jacob screamed as he reached over to push Carlisle's hands off him. I grabbed Jacob's wrist to prevent him from doing what he planned.

"Let go of me!" Jacob yelled at me as he tried to pull out of my grasp, which due to his broken ribs was not very successful. But then when Carlisle pushed on his sixth rib, he screamed again, tears pouring down his face; he wanted us to stop, but knew we wouldn't. He didn't know what to do.

"Stop- Carlisle please stop!" he begged between sobs, his left arm still struggling against my grasp so he could try to stop Carlisle. Carlisle removed his hands from Jacob's body, a pained look on his face as he turned to look at Jacob's.

"I do not want to be causing you this pain, Jacob," Carlisle said somberly. "But this is really important."

"I- I can't let you keep doing this t-to me," Jacob cried, his mind frantic was helplessness.

"That was the last rib I needed to examine, but I still have your organs, your arms and shoulders to evaluate."

Jacob shook his head, tears poured silently down his cheeks as he watched Carlisle with pleading eyes.

"Everything hurts, everything is broken. Knock me out and just fix me- please, I can't deal with this anymore," he begged through his teeth. I rubbed my hand up and down Jacob's left arm again, for my own benefit more than his; I felt I needed to do something- anything to help him- I hated that we were adding so severely to his pain.

"You have done very well so far, Jacob. Carlisle and I know you can do this for us," I tried to encourage him. "Would it help if you could release your pain physically? How about you squeeze my hand?" I suggested. I tried to place my hand in his warm one, but he snatched his away, disgusted by the idea.

_That's not going to work, _Jacob told me as if I were stupid.

"It won't take the pain away, but it may help," I offered, my arm resting within Jacob's reach.

Jacob snorted in reply, and refused to look at me. I sighed in resignation, then focused my attention on my father.

Knowing that Carlisle was planning to gently push on Jacob's stomach as the beginning of our search for internal bleeding, I decided to assist him. I used my left hand to perform the examination. Jacob gasped more in shock than in pain; my cold skin had startled him again. I felt a slight swelling just under Jacob's right lower rib cage where his liver would be.

"Carlisle," I said, looking at him uncertainly as I moved my hand so he could examine it.

_What is it? _Jacob demanded, but I didn't answer him.

"Take a deep breath Jacob," Carlisle requested and when Jacob did, he pushed harder on Jacob's liver.

"Fuck!" Jacob howled as he closed his eyes and instinctively lashed out, grasping my right wrist. Jacob's breathing had increased now. "What was that?" he whispered, wanting desperately to push Carlisle's hands away from a highly sensitive area.

"What did you feel?"

"Pain!"

"Anything else? Maybe something poking into you? Anything sharp?" Carlisle enquired, trying to feel for Jacob's bottom rib.

"No," Jacob gasped, cringing every time Carlisle went to touch him even when he wasn't feeling any pain.

"Ah, here it is," Carlisle exclaimed as he ran his fingers along Jacob's entire rib. Jacob had lifted his head up slightly so he could watch Carlisle, terrified that he was going to push on his liver again. Jacob was still grasping onto my wrist out of instinct- I don't think he actually realised what he was doing.

"Your bottom rib appears to be intact. When the newborn grabbed you, your rib must have pushed against your liver causing it to bruise. Your liver will heal on its own- it is probably healing as we speak, though due to the severity of the bruise it is taking longer to mend than we would have expected," Carlisle explained.

"'kay, so what now?" Jacob asked in a strangled voice.

_Please let that be everything._

I used my left hand to squeeze his shoulder gently to comfort him as Carlisle answered his question.

"Your arm and shoulder; I've noticed you have not moved either of them since we arrived."

"They are really stiff, I think the bones may have healed already," Jacob said rather optimistically. "Does that mean I can have the pain killers now?"

Carlisle frowned and shook his head. "Not until I've had a look."

Jacob groaned quietly, then released my wrist to touch his other arm.

"See, they're fine!" he insisted as he slowly lifted his right arm. I saw in his mind that this was a difficult thing to do as if his arm was as heavy as lead.

"Let me see," Carlisle said gently, prising Jacob's hand off his arm to get a better look. Carlisle wrapped his fingers around Jacob's arm and began moving them along the limb trying to find if there were any cracks or painful sections. Carlisle watched Jacob's face as he did this, but the boy maintained composure wanting to prove to the doctor that there was nothing wrong. Carlisle paused when he reached Jacob's upper arm, paying particular attention to an abnormality he could feel. Carlisle's eyebrows pinched together as he contemplated what it was. I could see what Carlisle was thinking, but decided not to comment on it; this was something Carlisle needed to tell Jacob.

Moving on, Carlisle asked: "Could you please sit up for me, Jacob? I know it will be uncomfortable, but I promise you can lie down again once I am finished; I need to examine your shoulder." Jacob nodded and then, using his left hand he hoisted himself up in bed so he was sitting up. He winced as his ribs were forced down due to gravity. He placed his left hand in front of his stomach to support his ribs and liver. I placed my hand on Jacob's good shoulder whilst Carlisle lifted up Jacob's right arm to see how his shoulder moved. Jacob's jaw clenched; the way Carlisle was moving his arm was highly uncomfortable, but not painful. Carlisle and I both watched how Jacob's collar and shoulder bones moved. Through the dark skin we could see the shoulder bone was connected, but there was a significant dent in the bone structure. I looked to Carlisle to see if his diagnosis was similar to my own. It was.

Carlisle continued to examine the shoulder bone as I went back to Jacob's collar bone- it also had a small dip in the bone; it didn't go straight across like it ought to. My eyes narrowed in concentration as I paid attention to Carlisle's thoughts- he was trying to work out how we were going to repair the damage that had been caused. It was not going to be easy.

I ran my finger along the bone. Jacob noticed when my finger dipped in slightly. He stared at me, knowing that something was wrong.

_What is it?_

"We will explain everything to you in a moment," I told Jacob quietly, not wanting to break Carlisle's concentration.

After half a minute, Carlisle helped Jacob lie back down and then stood in front of him, a gloomy look on his face. Nevertheless, Carlisle was optimistic; he knew Jacob would make a full recovery, but exactly how we were going to bring that about, he wasn't sure.

"You are correct, Jacob, your broken bones have healed." Jacob smiled at this, but this quickly disappeared when Carlisle continued, "however, they have set incorrectly."

"What do you mean?" Jacob demanded, confused.

"When bones break, doctors put the limbs in a cast so that when the bones connect back together again, they reconnect in the exact same alignment they were in originally. Because your healing abilities far surpass a human's, your bones have already set, but not in the original alignment."

"Does that matter?" Jacob asked a little defiantly.

"Given how much physical pressure is placed on your body such as when you phase, I feel it is necessary for your bones to be set correctly," Carlisle explained calmly, expecting some resistance.

"But-"

"Your skeleton will always be vulnerable if your bones stay the way they are. You could jump over a rock and land on your legs as you normally would, to then have the equivalent of your right arm collapse underneath you. Currently, your upper arm is connected like this," Carlisle tried to demonstrate by lifting up clenched fists and placing them on top of each other so his top fist was hanging slightly over his left. "This is not as strong as this," Carlisle continued, moving his fists directly on top of each other. "Your shoulder blade and collar bone are also in a similar way."

Jacob understood this, but feared the answer to his next question.

"How would you fix it then? It's too late," he pointed out, wondering why Carlisle bothered to even mention it if nothing could be done.

"There are ways…" Carlisle paused, uncertain within himself exactly how we would go about doing it, and given Jacob's hesitancy, he was reluctant to inform Jacob of this.

"Like what?" Jacob asked. But Carlisle did not answer him immediately; he was preoccupied with various methods of effectively carrying out his plan, so he turned to me for assistance in answering the boy's question. I bent down so my face was only a foot in front of Jacob's when I answered.

"Currently, we have come up with one solution…" I paused then, not able to say out loud what Carlisle planned to do. It was… unpalatable to me, especially doing it to someone I care about and Carlisle felt very similarly.

"Spit it out!" Jacob demanded, becoming impatient with both our silence and secrecy.

"We would need to re-break your fractures," I muttered, feeling that that was the simplest way to describe it, even though it was far more complex than that- for us.

"What? Why- why would you do that?" It was a question that should have had an obvious answer, but the way Jacob said it indicated that he was wondering why we would do that to him after everything he had already suffered.

"We would give you an anesthetic, so you would be in a deep sleep, unable to feel anything. When you wake up, your limbs will be wrapped up and hopefully healing correctly," I explained, trying to focus on the end result.

"The doc seems uncertain about this," Jacob said, looking towards Carlisle who was still deep in thought about the procedure. My father was confident in his abilities, but he had never done anything like this before and was worried about bruising Jacob and naturally, concerned we would make mistakes. I had every faith in Carlisle's ability, but it was a daunting task to break a bone in the exact same location as the original fracture.

"Carlisle knows that what I am telling you is necessary- he is contemplating the various procedures that would be involved," I said, trying to side-step the details of Carlisle's worries so as not to deter Jacob further from the idea.

"Trying to work out who's going to break my shoulder and who is going to snap my arm?" Jacob asked with a sarcastic smile on his face, but in the tight gaze of his eyes I could see the truth behind his apparent humour: he was terrified. The boy tried to comfort himself with the thought that at least we would be using specific tools to break his bones more precisely. I was not looking forward to the moment when we would need to contradict this belief of his.

Carlisle looked at his patient then, his face still and somber.

"What?"Jacob's thoughts were confused, his eyes focused on me as fear started to consume him again.

"I am imagining the human body in my mind- I am trying to work out the best way to break your bones is accurately as possible."  
>"Don't you have a machine for that?" But as soon as Jacob suggested it, he realized that there was no machine present with us.<p>

"No, the tools we need are on our person," Carlisle answered delicately, a dark shadow passing over his face- it was our kind who did this damage to Jacob after all.

Jacob's face froze as he put two and two together.

"No way!" Jacob yelled as he stared between me and Carlisle, true horror in his eyes.

"Jacob," I said gently, reaching out to touch him. Jacob used his left hand to move himself away from me, not that he moved far of course. "You need a sturdy skeleton, we do not know what will happen when you phase- it is possible your bones will weaken after each transformation. You know you cannot take that risk. Carlisle and I must act now while your bones are still 'freshly' broken," I winced at the use of my own words. I found it difficult to talk this way- I never thought I would have to break a friend's bones and neither did Carlisle.

"I'll take the risk- I'm not letting you do this," Jacob insisted.  
>I smiled a little in amusement, and when Jacob saw this, he guessed correctly what I was thinking.<p>

_You're going to force me, _Jacob stated in a hollow voice.

"If you truly do not want this to happen and if your family also agrees, then we will not force you. But try to remember that you will be unconscious, you will not be in pain, and most likely you will wake with your bones correctly set."

It was getting to the stage where Jacob was running out of ways of postponing what was to come. The concept of someone intentionally breaking another person's bones was sickening to him- to all of us; his mind was simply refusing to allow him to agree to such a procedure even if it was the best option for him.

"I am sorry to have to do this, Jacob, but I must push for your permission. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to re-break the fractures," Carlisle said with authority, but the pain was evident in his face that he did not want to do this any more than Jacob wanted it to happen.

"But- but," Jacob spluttered, unable to grasp how quickly this was happening. "You can't- you looked uncertain before. How are you going to do it?"

"I would rather not go into the specifics," Carlisle answered delicately, "but I promise that Edward and I will do the very best we can. All I can ask of you is to trust us."

_Yeah, I've done a bit too much of that this year._

"What do you feel you will lose?" I asked Jacob, wanting to further determine why he was so hesitant to agree.

"You may break more bones! If you hold me the wrong way, or- or make a mistake, I could have nine fractures instead of three!"

I saw very clearly what Jacob imagined happening: his limp body lying face down on the bed with Carlisle and myself standing over him. Carlisle held Jacob's right arm out to the side, then grabbed his shoulder with one hand, held Jacob's back down with the other and broke his shoulder bone which resulted in multiple resounding snaps. Carlisle's face was horrified when he looked down at Jacob's back and found a hand shaped bruise…

I turned away from Jacob to stare anywhere else, trying to remove the disturbing image from my mind. When scared, Jacob's imagination is highly vivid, yet he still managed to provide a running commentary to Carlisle as to what he saw, though thankfully without too many details.

"You have never done this before- you may make a mistake and then where does that leave me?" Jacob demanded, his eyes swimming in tears, his imagination perpetuating the fear which occupied his every thought.

Before Carlisle could answer, another image popped into Jacob's mind.

'Sorry Jacob, Carlisle and I did everything we could but you are paralysed, you will never walk again,' I said in Jacob's imagination to then walk off with my arm around Bella's waist, leaving Jacob feeling crushed and angry.

"That will not happen, Jacob," I told the boy with great certainty, both with regard to the paralysis and my intent to injure him just so I can have Bella to myself.

"You don't know that!" Jacob shouted at me.  
>"Carlisle and I will be extremely careful- we both want you to get through this-"<p>

"That's not enough!" Jacob hissed, a deep growl to his tone.

"It needs to be!" I snapped back at him; then wished I could take it back when I saw the hurt look Jacob gave me.

"Calm down Edward." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Carlisle watching me intently; he wondered why I was becoming so aggravated, and I couldn't blame him because even I didn't have an answer to give.

But at that moment, my focus was on Jacob whose eyes narrowed as he stared at me aggressively. We locked gazes for some time; he was trying to determine how far I would go to force him to submit to our plan, whilst I was waiting patiently for him to give in. Suddenly, he turned away from me and closed his eyes. Wondering what he was thinking, I instinctively leaned closer to the boy, staring into space so I could better focus on his thoughts. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Carlisle watching us with restless interest.

In Jacob's mind I saw an image of me and Carlisle discussing how to break Jacob's arm. Jacob was on his back now, Carlisle was holding his elbow stock still and I had grabbed his shoulder. Then in one swift movement, we forced Jacob's upper arm upwards. We then let go of Jacob's arm allowing it to dangle on the side of the bed, his joints pointing in opposite directions. In Jacob's mind I smiled at this: 'That was fun.'

This image made me angry and disturbed. Was this really what Jacob thought of me? But when I forced my gaze to Jacob's now paled, wide-eyed face, I realised that this was not a thought he purposefully conjured, but one that automatically occurred to him- a possibility that truly frightened him. I bent my knees so I could sit on the very edge of Jacob's bed, both Jacob and Carlisle's eyes were on me.

"That will never happen, I _can_ promise you that," I told Jacob, feeling terribly saddened that the boy thought me capable of such sadistic sentiments. Carlisle wanted me to explain what I saw, but I chose not to, I would tell my father later once Jacob was on the road to recovery.

_I know, but it frightens me, _Jacob admitted, barely able to look me in the eye.

"What frightens you?" I asked in a whisper.

_What you are capable of. I almost forgot what you are… _Jacob told me as he took a deep shuddering breath and then groaned in pain when he did. I placed my hand gently on his injured ribs and rubbed them carefully. _Vampires. _

Carlisle looked at me horrified when he saw tears streaming down Jacob's cheeks.

"He's okay," I said hurriedly to Carlisle, not wanting to detract from the significant revelation Jacob had just informed me of. Carlisle unwillingly accepted this and continued to study us both, trying to decipher what Jacob was saying to me.

"Has the realization that we can break your bones reminded you of what we are?" I asked sympathetically, trying to delve further into the areas of Jacob's mind that he was preventing me from seeing. But Jacob did not answer; his imagination had slipped into yet another scenario, one I desperately wished I could escape from.

I was alone in the room with Jacob, who was sleeping soundly. My mobile phone rang- it was Bella. She asked me how Jacob was and when she could come to visit him; she really wanted to see him and missed him terribly.

'Did you miss me?' my imagined-self asked.

'Yes,' Bella replied hesitantly. 'But I miss Jake more- he's the one who's hurt, not you.'

The look on my face became dangerously dark. I stood up from the chair I was sitting in and told Bella in an icy voice: 'I need to go, something is wrong, I will call you back,' then snapped my phone shut. Jacob was trying to stop himself from seeing the rest- it was a thought he did not want to have. Both he and I shut our eyes tight, Carlisle saw us and wondered what in goodness name was happening, but didn't say a word. Of course, closing our eyes did not stop us from seeing. An Edward that was certainly not me, reached over the bed to grab hold of Jacob's head. Waking up from his sleep, the boy's eyes widened in horror just as I broke his neck- he was dead.

My sharp intake of breath brought Jacob to reality: that he was safe, and that I had witnessed everything his imagination had tortured us with. Jacob opened his eyes so he could study my face. Immediately he realized his thoughts distressed me severely; my eyes were still closed and I was standing rigid and unmoving. It was so graphic, so cruel, and it pained me that the basis of the plotline was a brutal competition for Bella's heart rather than the true friendship I knew we had. But it wasn't our rivalry that bothered Jacob, our camaraderie completely forgotten; he was using this horrific scene to support his fears.

_You can kill me so easily, _Jacob cried out in his mind. Even without anesthetic, right here and now, in such a vulnerable condition, Jacob new I could reach out and break him limb from limb. Whether I _would _do such a thing completely escaped his mind- in this moment he had to, for his own safety, perceive me as the monster I was. I was too horrified by his thoughts to utter any words of comfort, or inform Carlisle of what was happening for fear of drowning the both of us in sorrow.

I opened my eyes. The moment I saw Jacob's face, I felt a strange stinging in my eyes and I recognized the feeling; I was crying. The boy was staring at me with wide, panicked eyes; if he could have run from me, he would have. At first, my gaze frightened him as he feared my reaction after seeing me remain tense for so long, but it did not take Jacob long to realize that I was emotional too; I felt terribly saddened. My chest ached with the loss of his respect, and his 'imagined Edward' reminded me of the monster I am always struggling against. But most of all, I feared his imagination would overcome his ability to reason, much like the delusional nightmare he experienced at my house a year previously. I remembered how I felt- how _crazy_ I felt when nothing I said could prove my innocence, when my desperation was strong and my sanity was wearing thin. I did not want to go back to such a dark place, and I knew I needed to do everything in my power to prevent myself from cracking. Jacob needed me and so did my father.

When Carlisle saw the way I was looking at Jacob, he knew immediately what was happening; he could sense my deep sorrow and my pain, but again he said nothing even though he desperately wanted to comfort me.

Eventually I forced myself to speak.

"I would never do that to you," I told Jacob, my voice trembling as I struggled to control my emotions. I then leaned over him and wrapped my right arm around his left shoulder so my hand was under his neck- Victoria's bite was completely healed. I hoped my embrace would be of comfort to him, to remind Jacob of the Edward he knew before he was so brutally injured by another of our kind- the Edward who wanted to protect and help him. I carefully leant over Jacob's body, my head now next to his, as I pressed my temple onto his wet cheek.

Jacob heard the emotion in my voice, but my proximity to him, although comforting in a sense, also made him hyper aware of his delicate ribs. Before his thoughts could again slip into the dark place where only fear could thrive, I knew I had to do or say something; I could not handle any more of his visions depicting a very violent, sadistic me.

"Please try to calm down," I begged of him in a soothing whisper. I waited with bated breath for Jacob's response; I had had enough of his pain and of my own- I needed it to stop.

_How could I forget what you are capable of? _He replied as he took a trembling breath.

My response came immediately; it was something I had observed in Jacob's mind since his experience with my family when he was recovering from Victoria's venom.

"Because this is not what we want to be. My family is blessed to have friends who see us as you do."

_I'm so scared- I can't stop imagining what could happen- I don't even know why- I know you won't hurt me, _Jacob sobbed.

I massaged the back of Jacob's neck with the fingers on my right hand.

"Shhhh," I whispered soothingly into Jacob's ear, my free hand, resting once more on Jacob's ribs in the hope that I may be able to calm him, even a little.

Suddenly, Jacob was hyper aware of where my hands were: one on the back of his neck, the other resting on his highly fragile ribcage. The moment the thought started, Jacob wished he could take it back. I saw it in his mind- he had let it slip: an image of me losing control over my strength as my hand pushed down on his chest, breaking every last rib each with a resounding 'crack'.

The fierceness with which Jacob imagined me doing this, made me feel sick. The build up of so many scenarios, each involving me destroying, killing, or mutilating the boy was too much; I was not that monster- I was not capable of such things. And yet, I knew I was- capable, but far from willing. To hurt Jacob in such a way would cause me tremendous pain, and to see an image of me being so vicious, so monstrous… my chest tightened with both horror and empathy. I equally wanted to comfort the boy- tell him as many times as necessary that I was not and could never be the Edward he imagined, but at the same time, I was too pained by his imagination to endure his fear any longer. For my own sanity, I had to get away from him.

With great difficulty, I forced myself to pull away from Jacob's mind; I could not see the rest of his vision. I slowly rose from my position over Jacob and moved my hands away from his body. Jacob was highly upset and now afraid of how I was going to react to the most recent torture his imagination had inflicted upon me.

"Your father and brothers are wondering how you are. I am going to give them an update and inform them of what we need to do," I improvised- anything to get away from Jacob's thoughts.

_Wait! _Jacob protested as he lashed out and grabbed onto my wrist. _I'm sorry, _he thought at me as a gasp escaped his lips.

"You have nothing to apologise for," I told him as sincerely as I could, removing his warm fingers from my wrist. "Carlisle will prepare the anesthetic, so we will be ready to begin when I return."

Carlisle wondered how I had managed to induce Jacob to agree to our unorthodox treatment; he expected Jacob to object, and was surprised when he didn't.

But Jacob already knew in his mind that we were going to re-break his fractures- he had accepted this now. All that occupied his mind was fear and guilt.

_Edward! Please, listen, I promise to control my thoughts, I won't think that way anymore. I know you're not like that, it's just-_

"You're scared," I finished his thought for him. I was already near the door, but I walked back to Jacob's bed. I found it hard to stare into the boy's eyes after what his imagination has just conjured, but I forced my struggles aside because I wanted him to know how much I meant what I was about to say: "It's okay to be scared. I do not blame you because I understand that when we're terrified, we always expect the worse outcome to arise. Never change the way you think or feel just because I am here," I told Jacob, slowing down my voice for emphasis. "You have the right to have private thoughts without feeling guilty for having them. If I hear them, that is not your problem, but mine."

_But I didn't want to hurt you, _Jacob told me, his eyes swimming in tears; despite all I had said, he still blamed himself for my pain

"I know that," I told him seriously, rubbing his shoulder with my hand as I closed my eyes for a moment. "But I need a break."

At this, Carlisle finally understood what must have happened- Jacob's thoughts had become too intense and traumatizing for me to endure, hence my sudden desire to depart.

But Jacob misunderstood- he thought I wanted a break from his situation, rather than the break my overcrowded mind desperately needed.

"Don't leave!" Jacob shouted out loud, before I could correct him of his misunderstanding.

"I promise I will return soon. My mind needs a break for a short while," I tried to convince him.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean those things," he cried as fresh tears of guilt rolled down his cheeks. Carlisle moved for the first time in many minutes. He placed his hand gently on Jacob's good shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"I know, Jacob. It's okay. I'll be back soon," I reassured him, and then as fast as I could, I opened the door to the room and closed it swiftly behind me.

There, I was confronted by Billy, Sam, Embry and Quil, all of whom were staring at me utterly confused by what they had heard. Jacob's shouts of 'I'm sorry!' and 'Don't leave!' did not escape their notice. I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead with the fingertips on my right hand.

"Jesus," I whispered under my breath, as I struggled to clear my mind.

"Are you okay?" Quil asked me. I didn't answer him straight away; instead I took a couple of deep breaths, trying to block out Jacob's thoughts which were not as loud, but still upsetting to me. I opened my eyes to find Jacob's family and friends still watching me, now concerned as well as confused.

I turned to Quil and said: "I'll be fine."

"What has been happening in there?" Billy ventured to ask, but I couldn't find the words- the rationality to explain it. I turned away from all of them, trying to clear my mind of their thoughts as well as Carlisle's and Jacob's, but I couldn't; I needed more distance between myself and Jacob.

Soon I found myself walking away from the door to the opposite side of Jacob's house and out the front door.

"Where are you going?" Sam demanded following quickly behind me, both angry and worried by my behaviour.

"Follow me," I told all four of them. They did not hesitate to obey as we walked outside into the cool night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note: Firstly, I just wanted to clarify that Jacob had momentarily 'forgotten' what the Cullens are and consequently, what they are capable of due to the highly vulnerable and emotional situation he was in. After all, he did just witness first-hand that the Cullens could destroy their own kind on the battle field so he does _know _what they are, but to realize that that strength can be used outside of such a situation completely escaped him; he sees Carlisle and Edward as protectors, rather than creatures who could/would hurt him, especially when he is so weak and vulnerable. So I hope that makes sense.

It may be hard to restrain, but please, please take two seconds to review this chapter before you move on to the next one! Please? What do you think so far? Of Jake's very vivid imagination and Edward's need for a break? Was it how you imagined this scene to have occurred, or did you think Jake would have been out cold from the beginning? I'm also thinking of including Jacob's POV of this scene as an 'outtake' for this story. What do you think? Please share your thoughts with me, then feel free to move on! Thank you soooooo much!


	19. Chapter 18 Broken Part II

Author's note: And welcome to part II :) I hope you are enjoying 'Broken' so far! This chapter contains perspectives from Edward, Carlisle and Jacob, so it's quite a busy chapter! I hope you love it! And please remember to review when you are done! Your review will be my Christmas present! Yay! Thank you so much and happy reading!

Trust me

Chapter 18- Broken part II

Edward's POV

The cool outside air helped soothe my throbbing head and cleared my crowded mind. Although I could still hear Jacob's thoughts, they were far quieter now which made them easier to ignore. And even though I was in close proximity to four different minds, their thoughts were no where near as powerful or as disturbing as Jacob's.

Amazingly everyone waited patiently for me to speak; all of them could tell I needed a moment to recover from whatever it was I had experienced. Sam and Billy, who understood my gift better than the young wolves, guessed correctly that Jacob's thoughts had affected me on some level. They did however, find it a little disconcerting that I was standing so still as if I were incapable of moving. I was trying to wrap my head around both what I needed to say to Jacob's family and do with Jacob himself when he was safely unconscious.

When I was ready to speak, I walked closer to them (they had given me a five meter berth), a response which frightened Quil and Embry a little; it was as if I had suddenly come back to life.

"I apologise for the delay and thank you for giving me some time."

All four of them nodded, each of them still feeling a little concerned for me, but mostly they now wanted to know how Jacob was- I had kept them waiting long enough.

"Jacob is doing better than Carlisle and I were expecting. He is enduring the pain well and is slowly healing some quite serious injuries. However, a majority of Jacob's right side has been broken or injured to some degree, his leg being the exception," I explained.

"Jacob's ribcage is fragile at the moment. He has some severe bruising on his skin around the area. His liver is also bruised and highly painful; we feel it must have been pushed up against his ribcage when the newborn squeezed his torso. Thankfully, it does not appear to be bleeding and his ribs are all still intact."

Billy sighed in relief. He was a bit overwhelmed with the amount of information I was giving him, but so far, he understood that Jacob was okay.

"However," I continued, turning my gaze to the room where Jacob was lying anxiously waiting for me to return. "The bone in his upper arm," I described, holding up my own arm so I could point to the relevant bone, "was broken."

"Was?" Sam cut in.

"Yes, Jacob's body was able to repair the bone before we even arrived."

"That's good, right?" Quil asked, a little uncertainly, he had heard some of my earlier discussion with Jacob and knew there was a procedure Jacob was against.

"It could have been," I acknowledged, "but not in this case. This bone," I pointed again to my upper arm, "Jacob's collar bone," I indicated once more pointing to my own one, "and his shoulder blade," I continued turning Sam around to show the other three which bone I was talking about, "were all broken. Although each half of the bone has been reconnected to the other half," I demonstrated using my closed fists, "unfortunately, his bones are more like this," I said, showing them like Carlisle did with Jacob. "For some people, this would not be an issue, but a tremendous amount of physical exertion is placed on Jacob's body when he fights and when he phases. Bones are weaker when they are not correctly aligned, so Carlisle feels it is best to fix this."

"But how? Wouldn't you have to break his bones again?" Embry asked, horrified by the idea, though not as horrified as he was after I nodded- he was far quicker than Jacob was at picking up the hint, though Embry was also in a better place to think rationally.

"You cannot be serious," Billy stated and in his mind, he saw my request as a cruel joke.

"Unfortunately, we are very serious about this," I said sternly, in the hope that my tone would deter Jacob's father from denying us permission to do the procedure. "Given the amount of pressure endured by the front legs of wolves, Carlisle feels it is likely that that limb will cause Jacob problems later on. Better to do this now when the fracture is still relatively weak- it will be easier for us to-"

"Break his bones," Sam finished my sentence, looking disgusted.

"Yes."

"Well- well what are the risks? My son did not seem too pleased about the idea," Billy questioned me to make sure he understood everything that could go wrong. Thankfully Billy Black did not have as vivid an imagination as his son.

"We would give Jacob an anesthetic for the procedure. This means, he will be unconscious- he will not feel any pain. When we cared for Jacob after he was bitten by Victoria, we discovered that pain killers wear off faster in werewolves due to their higher body temperature. Therefore, Carlisle has reason to believe that the anesthetic may wear off quickly too. I will keep a close eye on it," I promised them. "It is also likely," I continued, taking a deep breath, "that Jacob will develop further bruising around his upper arm and shoulder due to the force Carlisle and I will need to exert. However," I continued quickly because Sam was about to interrupt me, "Jacob heals quickly- it is likely that the bruises will last no more than a day," I tried to convince them. All of them imagined finger shaped bruises on Jacob's upper arm, Embry going to the extent of imaging Carlisle holding Jacob's arm like a cob of corn and snapping it in half with the skin still intact.

I cringed from Embry's mind and turned away from him to stare into the forest.

_Oops, sorry, _Embry thought to himself. The message wasn't directed at me, but I acknowledged his apology anyway.

"Your thoughts are understandable," I told him.

The others looked at Embry slightly confused, but none of them were willing to ask him what he had imagined, not wanting to distress me further. I was grateful to them for that.

"Has your father ever done something like this before?" Billy asked.

I paused contemplating my answer. I knew Carlisle had done reconstructive surgery where he needed to push a dislocated shoulder back into place, or realigned a finger or even a leg. But to specifically break someone's shoulder bone without doing damage to other organs was extremely difficult and something Carlisle had never encountered before.

"Carlisle has re-broken fractures, yes, but they have been much simpler bones. To break only one bone in someone's shoulder will not be easy," I allowed, "but Carlisle is convinced he can do it."

"And if he can't?" Sam asked through his teeth.

"Worst case scenario? We break the bone, but miss the fracture. I feel it unlikely that we would create new fractures during our attempts- Carlisle would be able to sense if another bone was giving way. But if such a thing were to occur, I promise we will not rest until every piece of bone is correctly realigned. When he wakes, his body will be bandaged up so we know each bone fragment is in its correct place. If all goes well, he should be well enough to go back to his normal activities in a couple of weeks." This news was a surprise to them- they were expecting Jacob to be out of action for at least a month. But Jacob was already recovering rapidly despite his injuries, so I was optimistic.

"We promise to take the utmost care with your son and his health."

"I know you will," Billy said seriously as he remembered back to when he visited my house months previously when Jacob was recovering from the effects of vampire venom. "You have my permission to go through with the procedure, but please keep me updated as often as you can; I do not feel I can rest until I know things have gone well."

I nodded my understanding.

"Of course," I said, relieved. "Would you like to see him before we begin? Carlisle has finished preparing for the procedure, so we are ready to begin when you are," I informed them.

I expected them to immediately walk towards the house, eager to see Jacob, but none of them moved. It was only then that I realised I had left out a specific part of the story.

"Before we go in, can you tell us what happened before? With Jacob?" Quil asked me, a little nervous from what I could gather; he did not want to pry, but he was irrevocably curious. Embry was also determined to understand; he had rarely seen Jacob so upset.

I gave the boy a single nod of my head.

"As you have assumed, Jacob was highly distressed at the prospect of my father and me re-breaking his fractures, understandably," I added, to make sure they understood that I did not blame Jacob at all for his hesitancy and fear. "The thoughts that filled Jacob's mind after hearing our plan were- to say the least- unpleasant. They were thoughts he did not want me to see- they were private fears of his. I am not going to elaborate any further," I told them, "because my gift forces me to be a witness to such thoughts, even against the wishes of the thinker. Therefore, out of respect for Jacob, I will not tell you the specific images I saw. Needless to say, his thoughts upset both of us. Jacob was apologizing for thinking and feeling the way he did, and felt guilty that I needed to leave the room to get away from his mind. I do not blame Jacob in any way for his thoughts; my gift should not change the way he thinks and feels when around me, and I told Jacob this much. Jacob's imagination is highly vivid, especially when he is afraid, which can make it difficult for me to be around him during stressful times such as this. I am sure, once he is mending, you could ask Jacob what he imagined, but for now, I would prefer it if you did not question him; I would not want his fears to return."

My audience stared at me in shock: Billy was almost smiling, glad I was not willing to betray Jacob's privacy. Sam respected me for being able to handle Jacob because he knew what it was like to have multiple thoughts aimed at him- he empathized with me and knew how difficult Jacob could be. Quil and Embry were shocked by my maturity- they now had proof that I was much older than seventeen. I found myself smiling in spite of myself, glad that they all respected my decision.

"We'll- we'll go see Jacob now?" Quil suggested, uncertain if it was okay for them to leave me.

"Of course," I encouraged them. "I will stay out here."

Billy gave me a smile as Embry pushed him through the front door. Sam clapped me on the shoulder. I waited outside while I heard the distant voices of Jacob's family and friends talking with him. Thankfully the boy had calmed down somewhat. A moment later, Carlisle was by my side and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"Are you okay, Son?" Carlisle asked me sympathetically.

"Yes. How's Jacob doing?"

"Better, but this will not be easy for him. I have everything prepared- I just hope we can get through this without any complications," Carlisle told me, and for the first time in my existence I saw doubt in his eyes.

"You are brilliant," I reminded him. My father chuckled.

"Thank you, Edward," Carlisle said graciously.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Carlisle's POV

I knew this would be the hardest procedure I would ever do; one that required precision when precision was most difficult, even for a vampire.

Edward and I stayed outside while Jacob's family spoke with him. I stood there thinking about how exactly to go about breaking my patient's bones and whether Edward would be able to stay with me throughout the process. Since I turned Edward almost one hundred years ago, he has never had so much difficulty coping with another person's thoughts; often he would ignore them or even block them out entirely. But I suppose this was different; Edward cared about Jacob, who had experienced much pain both physical and emotional in the last few months. Even so, I felt I would need Edward's help; Jacob's arm would be reasonably easy to break and realign, but his shoulder bones were an entirely different matter. It flattered me that my son was so confident in my abilities, and while I knew I wouldn't make Jake's situation worse, I could not guarantee I would improve it. Nevertheless, it was my responsibility to try; especially given it was our kind who did the damage to begin with. I found it ironic that the only creatures who could break Jacob's bones are the only ones strong enough to properly fix the damage.

At this point, I turned to look at Edward who was pretending not to listen to what Jacob was saying to his family, but I could tell by the look on his face that he was listening intently. Thankfully, nothing was said that seemed to upset him, but I wondered what the atmosphere would be like once Edward returned to Jacob's side.

As we stood waiting, I studied Edward's face, wondering how much more emotional turmoil and pain he could handle. It had been a hard, long day for all of us, and I could tell by the lines on his face and his darkened eyes that he was mentally exhausted. I wished I could have relieved some of his pain for him, which reminded me to consider what had occurred between Jacob and Edward just prior to my son needing to leave the boy's presence. It was infuriating not knowing what my patient was feeling or thinking, even more so when I knew Edward was not telling me the information I so desired to know. Of course, I knew it was not a sign of disrespect, and by the end, I realized he was probably too preoccupied to answer my thoughts properly and more importantly, he wanted to spare me the pain he was going through. Nevertheless, when things were less intense, I would ask him what images or thoughts Jacob showed him, if for no other reason than to understand Jacob better.

When Jacob's family had finished talking with my patient, they called for us. I advised them to wait a decent way from the room because the sound of breaking bones is loud, especially ones as strong as Jacob's.

"We'll wait in my bedroom at the opposite end of the house," Billy informed me.

"That sounds perfect," I replied as I saw out of the corner of my eye, Edward entering the room Jacob was in. I listened intently for any sign of conflict or resistance, but heard none.

"How long do you think it will take?" Sam asked me, his deep voice sounded quite menacing even though I was sure that was not his intention.

"It depends," I answered him honestly. "Jacob will be unconscious for at least one hour; it is my hope that we would have successfully completed the procedure by then. I will make sure Edward keeps you posted if we'll be any more than an hour," I promised.

Sam nodded his head, and Billy seemed appreciative of the regular updates.

After this, no one said anything further. I was not sure whether they were thinking of something to say, or whether they were waiting for me- the doctor, to tell them they needed to leave their loved one in my hands.

"We have all had a big day," I said to them kindly, "so perhaps I should get started?" Billy nodded, losing a little colour from his face. I placed my hand on his shoulder. He lifted his head to look up at me.

"Look after him."

"I promise I will," I replied as sincerely as I could because I had every intention of doing so, and wanted Jacob's father to know that.

Billy nodded again and then signaled for Sam to push him towards the front of the house. Embry and Quil followed behind them, watching me a little apprehensively; I knew they were worried for their friend, and naturally they would be given Jacob's doctor is a vampire. I sighed, wondering if they would ever completely trust me as I watched them enter into what must have been Billy's bedroom. When I heard the click of the door, I opened the one to my left and entered.

Edward and Jacob both stared at me when I walked in.

_Did I interrupt something?_

Edward shook his head, but didn't venture to say more.

"Are you ready Jacob?" I asked, knowing full well that such readiness would be unlikely in this situation.

Jacob gulped, his Adam's apple lifting significantly in his throat. Edward reached out to put a hand on the boy's good shoulder.

Eventually, Jacob nodded.

"Good," I smiled reassuringly. "Over here," I said gesturing to the small table behind me, "I have some anesthetic and a needle to administer it with. I estimate the anesthetic will put you to sleep for roughly one hour, however given your high body temperature, it may wear off faster than I am expecting. Edward will monitor that side of things for me."

Jacob glanced at Edward, uneasy.

"When you are unconscious, your mind will be blank. If I detect any hint of a thought or feeling, I will let Carlisle know immediately," Edward asserted.

Jacob nodded.

"And the final thing," I continued, upset that what I was about to say was a real possibility, "it is likely you will experience some further bruising, and I regret to say that that will be my fault. Unfortunately, given the circumstances it is relatively unavoidable, but I will be as careful as I can, and hopefully you will heal quickly," I ended on a more positive note.

"I can deal with bruises," Jacob told me seriously, "just don't do anything you can't fix, Doc."

I smiled; glad that Jacob had the procedure in perspective- irreparable damage was something I would strive to avoid.

"I promise to do my very best."

Jacob paused as if wondering whether my word was good enough. Eventually he must have decided it was, because he said: "Okay, get on with it," he concluded with a sigh, holding out his left arm for me to administer the anesthesia.

After disinfecting the area and filling the needle with the required anesthetic, I was prepared to begin.

"Are you ready Jacob?"

He nodded, stiffening a little when he saw the needle point come closer to his arm.

"Try to relax," I encouraged him, as Edward began to rub Jacob's good shoulder again.

Jacob closed his eyes, his breathing deep but quick. I felt this was the best I could expect given the circumstances, so began to inject the anesthetic.

"Okay Jacob, please count down backwards from 10."

I thought he would start immediately, but he didn't. I looked to Edward slightly panicked, but before I could ask any questions of my son, he muttered soothingly:

"I know." But he was not looking at me, but at Jacob.

"10… 9… 8… …" And then, Jacob was under.

I turned to Edward again.

"What did he say to you?" I whispered even though there was no real need to.

"I trust you," Edward recited with a smile. I couldn't help but grin too; Jacob's trust in us, but especially Edward, has been immense. It was a true honour for us to have earned Jacob's friendship, and every moment he reminded us of it, was a gift.

I watched Edward as he stood up straight and then walked around the bed so he was standing next to me.

"How do you feel?" I asked him, my eyes narrowed in sympathy.

"Better now," he sighed. "My mind is much more peaceful now he is under."

"I am glad to hear it; I know today has not been easy on you and not just with Jacob, but keeping an eye on the entire fight."

Edward smiled, his eyes staring at the floor. "I managed it."

"We all appreciate your gift, Edward. Thank you for bearing its consequences too," I told my son, as I gave him a one armed hug.

Edward returned my gesture.

When we pulled apart, he asked:

"So how are we going to do this?"

This brought me back to the more pressing situation at hand and immediately I returned to my rational, practitioner mode.

"His arm will be the easiest to fix," I began. "His shoulder is far more problematic. I have considered many options, but I fear we may tear ligaments or traumatize muscles if the attempts fail." I showed Edward what I meant by visualizing the methods I once planned to use. Edward shook his head.

"Too risky."

I nodded my agreement.

"Therefore, I wonder what you would think about us doing what the newborn did?" I reminded Edward of the scene he described when he was on the mountain top watching through Sam's mind, the attack on Jacob. I replayed it to Edward to make sure I had understood the scene correctly- I had.

"Could that risk his ribs being further damaged?" Edward asked, his eyes narrowed in contemplation.

"It is possible," I allowed, "but I would hold him closer to the top of his body, which will hopefully avoid further damage to his ribs for the most part. If we were to do this, I would have you monitor Jacob's damaged bones to ensure I only use enough force to break the already weakened fractures and nothing more."

"It sounds plausible," he told me. "Would you plan on doing the shoulder first? If we realign his arm, it may come undone when he attempt to break his shoulder."

"Yes, that is precisely what I was thinking."  
>"What about the left side of his body? How will you prevent crushing his other side?"<p>

"I feel his right side will be weak enough to break before the left gives in," I said optimistically and hoped I would be proven correct. "But if not," I continued, not wanting Edward to think I was being negligent, "we will reassess. Shall we give this a try?"

Edward nodded, clearly determined to complete the procedure.

Edward helped me sit Jacob up on the bed, then carefully climbed on to the bed himself, so he could hold Jacob steady for me as I wrapped my arms around Jacob's shoulders, my right elbow joint encapsulating Jacob's upper arm. Edward had one arm holding Jacob up and the other on his collar bone. I could feel Jacob's shoulder bone on my chest so I could monitor its strength from there. It was a crude form of measurement, but the best I felt we could do.

_On the count of three, _I said, directing my thought to Edward, who nodded.

I was about to start counting, my arms in position, but I found myself unable to initiate my plan.

"Carlisle?" Edward asked, looking concerned and I knew the expression on my face was what worried him.  
>I sighed. <em>I understand this is my job, that I am perhaps the only individual capable of executing what needs to be done, but it disturbs me nonetheless, <em>I admitted, feeling the need to at least acknowledge my own reservations, yet astonished by my own hesitancy; time was of the essence.

Edward didn't move from his position, but stared at me in such a way that told me he knew exactly how I felt.

"His future will be healthier, his limbs stronger if we do this for him. We are his only hope for that," Edward whispered to me. His words, and the fact that he felt similarly, eased my guilt and removed my hesitancy; this was for the best. And yet… I knew the disgust I felt would not appease until the procedure was successfully completed. I would simply have to endure my distress.

"I know," I eventually told him, and I did know it, because the benefits of my actions would far outweigh my own discomfort. After taking a couple of breaths, I resumed my position behind Jacob, his right arm secure in the crook of my elbow. I began to count.

_1, 2, 3._

On three, I went to tighten my right arm, leaving my left slightly loose in comparison.

Eventually there was a snap. Immediately, Edward and I froze to see if there were any reactions from either from Jacob or his family.

"They did not hear it," Edward informed me and I knew he was referring to Jacob's family.

"Good," I told him as I sighed with relief; to my ears it sounded horrid due to my heightened hearing as a vampire, and perhaps because I was responsible for the break.

"It was his collar bone," Edward reported as he ran his finger along Jacob's now broken bone- he could feel the minute gap between the two fragments that were previously precariously joined. "What about his shoulder?"

I put the entirety of Jacob's body weight on Edward so I could examine it. It was not yet broken, but did not have its usual resistance.

_Hang on to him, _I warned Edward. I thought of my plan in my head so Edward knew what to expect. Placing my right hand on the front of Jacob's shoulder as a form of resistance, I then pushed on Jacob's fracture with my left. It did not take long for the bone to snap.

It took me a moment to realize what I had just done.

"Carlisle, we don't have much time," Edward reminded me; although he was concerned about my distress, the short amount of time we had available to us needed to take precedence. I thanked him for the gentle reminder, then quickly grabbed Jacob's arm, felt for the weakest point and broke the bone so quickly a human would not have seen it. Edward and I then rushed to grab bandages and wrap Jacob's shoulder and arm so that each of the bones were correctly aligned in preparation for Jacob's healing mechanisms to take effect. The entire time, I felt uneasy. I could not have expected the procedure to go any smoother, but I still felt more like a vampire than a doctor in those moments. Fifteen minutes later, Jacob was lying in bed, still unconscious, but as healthy as I had hoped for.

"Well done Carlisle," Edward praised me. "Fifteen minutes until he is due to wake."

"I should inform his family that we are finished. Thank you for your assistance and support, Edward."

My son smiled as he looked down at Jacob's bandaged shoulder. "Not a single bruise on his shoulder, and only a few on his arm. You did well."

"_We_ did well," I corrected him, as I left to find Billy who was anxiously waiting for me.

Relief did not begin to describe how they felt upon hearing the procedure went as well as I could have hoped. All of them shook my hand, and asked when Jacob would be awake because they were eager to see him.

"Soon," I promised smiling, delighted by their joy. In the background, I heard Edward's voice from down the hall talking to Bella on the phone. He wasn't talking for long, just a short update; she should have been sleeping. Then Edward was speaking again, to me this time, though it was too quiet for the others to hear. As much as I tried not to portray my reservations to Edward's request, the boy's family could tell something was happening.

"Carlisle, I need to tell Jacob something quickly. It may upset him, but it is important."

_Is it really necessary, Edward?_ I questioned, wondering whether now would be the right time.

"He will need rest- I doubt he will still be awake by the time he has finished talking to his father and brothers. Bella will be here first thing tomorrow morning…" but then his voice trailed off and I could tell he felt guilty about something.

_Do what you need to, Edward, but try to keep him calm, we do not want him to phase any time soon,_ I told my son rather sternly. At times like this, I was very proud of both Edward and Jacob for the relationship they had managed to form despite their mutual love for Bella, but at the same time, it made conversations, like the one I knew Edward was about to start, very distressing… for both of them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edward's POV

I watched apprehensively as the anesthetic began to wear off. Jacob's thoughts were becoming clearer as he remembered where he was and why. Jacob's eyelids looked heavy as he tried to open them. The only light in the room came through the window from the glow of the rising sun. When Jacob's eyes were opened wide enough to see me, his heart rate increased as he reacted instinctively to my presence.

"Jacob?" I spoke gently to see if he could hear me.

"Is it over?" he mumbled almost incomprehensibly.

"Yes," I told him with a smile on my face. "It went very well. There may be a few bruises on your arm, but otherwise no other damage was done."

Jacob closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good."

"How do you feel?" I asked him, wondering if he felt sick; a common side effect of anesthetic.

"A bit groggy, but otherwise okay," he told me indifferently. "Where's my dad?"

"He, Sam, Quil and Embry are in your father's bedroom. Carlisle is talking to them."  
>"Can I see them?" Jacob asked, and I could tell his reason for wanting this was so his father would stop worrying about him.<p>

"Very soon," I promised him.

"Why not now?" Jacob demanded groggily, though he didn't really have the energy to get mad with me.

I sat on Jacob's bed. The boy watched me warily.

_What now? _He sighed.

"I am sorry, but I would like to tell you something. Carlisle gave you some morphine intravenously, but let me know if you feel any pain." Jacob nodded, waiting for me to say whatever I needed to say so he could see his family.

"Bella will come to visit you first thing tomorrow morning," I began. Jacob smiled a little at the prospect, momentarily forgetting that I was watching his reaction. "But before she arrives, I would like to tell you something important."

"What?" Jacob almost whispered; he was envisaging something bad had happened to Bella or that I was planning to prevent her from seeing him after their kiss. I narrowed my eyes at Jacob and shook my head to let him know that that was not the case.

Taking a deep breath, I began. "Over the past few months, Bella and I have been discussing the possibility of marriage. So, two days ago I asked Bella to marry me and she said yes," I informed Jacob in a delicate tone, knowing my words would hurt him.

Jacob stared at me for a full minute and then suddenly his mind burst with fury.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" he demanded, his words were hissed through his teeth, but his thoughts were deafening.

"I wanted to, but there was never a good time-"

"Because NOW is the perfect time!" Jacob bit back sarcastically. He thought of the mountain top and demanded: _What was wrong with that time?_

"I could not tell you in the tent; I did not want to risk you waking Bella up or leaving. Bella would have frozen if you did," I reasoned with him. "And I could not bring myself to tell you the morning after because you were about to go into battle- I did not want to distract you from the fight."

"I can look after myself!" _After everything you said in the tent, you couldn't even be honest with me? I was hopeful- I thought I stood a chance!_

"You do," I asserted; I was not going to assume for a second that Bella's agreeing to marry me meant that that was truly what she wanted. I did not forget that we made a deal: she wanted to become a vampire, my price was marriage.

_Don't lie to me! _Jacob screamed in his head. I cringed at the intensity of his tone.

"I'm not lying, Jacob. I know the kiss you shared meant a lot to her,"

_You couldn't even wait for that moment- you couldn't wait for her to realize her feelings for me. And now she knows and there's nothing she can do about it- she's stuck with you!_

"Bella is engaged to me, but she still kissed you!" I argued back, though tried to keep my voice down so Jacob's family wouldn't hear. Of course, Carlisle could, but he was doing well trying to pretend that nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

_Bella's not going to say 'no' to you now!_ Jacob told me as if I were stupid.

But I knew I was not being stupid; Bella could choose Jacob instead, because she still had not made up her mind.

"You don't know that; she may," I insisted. "You will have an opportunity tomorrow to find out… you can discuss it with her."

_Can't wait, _Jacob replied sarcastically.

"I was hoping she would have mentioned our engagement before now, but she was too scared of hurting you," I said gently.

"So you thought you would do it for her?" Jacob demanded out loud, though thankfully he did not speak too loudly; his family were still ignorant of our discussion.

"I take no pleasure in this," I told Jacob seriously, staring into his eyes to show him I meant it.

Despite my best efforts to portray my dislike of the situation we were both in, Jacob could not move past the fact that I had kept my intentions a secret for months and never said anything. He thought I felt superior to him because I had known all along that this was the way it would end- that Bella had chosen me from the beginning. Worst of all, he believed that the insecurities I confided in him the previous night were an act on my part.

"I was never sure," I told him. "I am delighted she wants to marry me, but there is still a part of me who wonders if she- if _I_ have made the right choice."

"Oh don't be humble anymore; you've won, Bloodsucker!" Jacob shouted, gaining the attention of everyone in Billy's bedroom. I felt a pang in my chest where my heart once was; Jacob referring back to his old name for me made me question how strong our friendship was and whether I had just destroyed it.

Nevertheless, I tried to hide my guilt and concern by narrowing my eyes and reminding him of our conversation the previous night.

"This was not about winning, but about making Bella happy-"

"Now she's never going to know- you never gave her the chance! We'll see if she's happy when she can't see Charlie anymore, when she kills a human for the first time, when she misses her best friend, then we'll see who's happy!" Jacob had tears in his eyes as he continued to shout at me. "You are such a coward! You tell me now when I can't do anything to show you how much I hate this! I can't attack you, I can't even hurt you!" Jacob's teeth were gritted together, his jaw locked. I could feel how helpless he felt, how angry he was, and his frustration that he could do nothing to release that anger except yell drowsily at me. My emotions were easily affected by this; I had started this discussion, it was my fault he felt so trapped in his anger, disappointment and grief over a relationship he had wanted for so long. I just destroyed that possibility for him. I knew Carlisle would not be pleased with me; Jacob was feeling weak and tired. So before answering Jacob's accusation, I tried to form a response that would calm him down.

"I am not a coward; I always hoped that Bella would tell you-"

"So you wouldn't have to?" Jacob fired scathingly back.

"So I wouldn't have to feel your pain." I told him and it was the truth.

Jacob stared at me, disbelief clouding his thoughts.

"I knew how much you would hate to hear this- I hoped Bella would have told you when I was not around… I hoped to _avoid_ this."

"There was no way you could have avoided this! You dug yourself so deep into the ground pretending to be uncertain about what Bella wanted when you knew this whole time! You're a liar!" Jacob yelled at the top of his lungs. At this, Carlisle led Jacob's family to the room we were in, but was hard pressed to keep them out; all four of them were worried about Jacob- they knew as well as I did that he should be resting, not arguing. But even without the influence of their thoughts, I knew I could not argue back; I couldn't endure any more of Jacob's pain, and I did not want to prolong it any longer.

"You need to rest, Jacob," I told him simply, though I stared at him sincerely, hoping he could see that I was upset too.

_Don't you dare leave!_

"I must," I whispered, the truth of it enveloping me as I ran my hand across my forehead, trying to unsuccessfully erase Jacob's pain from my mind. The boy saw how I moved; his face softening for a second, until he concluded correctly that my discomfort was nothing compared to his grief. He could not have sympathy for me when his pain was far greater than my own.

"I hope we will have an opportunity to repair this," I continued, "but for now your family wishes to see you. I know Bella is looking forward to visiting you tomorrow. Take care of yourself… I'm sorry Jacob," I finished. I went to rest my hand on Jacob's good shoulder in farewell, but decided against it, pulling my hand back when I saw the hatred in his eyes as if daring me to touch him. I stared at Jacob for a moment longer, then forced myself to turn my back on the boy and head towards the door.

_HEY! _Jacob screamed in his mind, feeling frustrated that I could escape so easily and leave him stuck and trapped in the pain I had caused. I hated to leave, but I knew I had to; I needed a break, and Jacob would not be able to recover if I stayed.

I walked quickly to the door and opened it to find three slightly shaking Quilettes and a curious expression on Billy's face.

"I am terribly sorry," I apologized to Jacob's family, and then let myself out of the house. When I walked past Carlisle, I whispered quickly: "I'll be at home," before sprinting to the other side of the border, leaving Jacob's furious, helpless, abandoned thoughts behind me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jacob's POV

Bella had been talking for twenty minutes. At first, she was asking me how I was feeling, whether I was in pain (I wasn't; the doc had to go hunting so made sure I was well and truly doped up), and when I'll be healthy enough to phase and join my pack again. When that was over and done with, Bella began to struggle with the kiss we shared. I could tell she was trying her best to tell me how she felt. I knew almost immediately that she was trying to let me down easy. I decided to save her the effort.

"I know you're engaged to the Bloodsucker," I told her harshly, so she would stop pretending she cared for my feelings and just got to the point.

Bella's jaw dropped in shock and briefly stared at her left hand, probably to see if she wore her ring by mistake.

"How did you find out?" she asked in a whisper; evidently their marriage was meant to be kept a secret from everyone, including the Cullens.

"Your fiancé told me last night," I hissed at her.

"Oh my god Jake, I'm so sorry- I really wanted to tell you, but I didn't want to hurt you and now I've hurt you even more by not being honest," Bella realised, her eyes watery with guilt.

"Shame you didn't think of that sooner," I bit sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, Jake," she cried, "I can't believe he told you…" Bella trailed off, wondering why Edward was so honest with me, and I could tell she was going through all the possibilities in her mind: did he want to boast? Did we have an argument?

"He didn't want to lie to me anymore," I muttered what I knew to be the answer through my teeth, "which is more than I can say for you," I pointed out, bitter anger filling me.

Bella's eyes welled up then. At first I didn't care, but then I felt my face soften as a tear cascaded down her cheek.

"I should have told you the moment it happened- the moment I accepted him, but I- but I couldn't…"

"Because you love me too," I told her, but not in my normal convincing tone. I spoke as if it were the truth; not even Bella could deny it now.

"Yes," she admitted willingly and openly, tears tumbling fast down her face. "I know I don't deserve it, but thank you for helping me see my love for you. That moment with you meant so much to me- I'll- I'll never forget it Jake, but… it doesn't change anything. And I knew that- I knew it wouldn't make a difference. And- and I knew I would hurt you, because I'm selfish- a selfish part of me wants you too and it hurts much more now that I know I love you," she blubbered.

"You didn't give yourself the chance to find out Bella. You could marry me instead," I told her as a real possibility, knowing all the while that she would not accept it. Even so, I had to try.

"I can't, Jake- I want to be with Edward, I have _always_ known that, I don't understand why I pushed the boundaries with us."

"Yeah, all you did was make everyone feel worse," I said as a joke, but she and I both knew it was not at all funny.

"I didn't want to hurt you or Edward, you are both innocent, I am the one who should be hurting." And I could tell that she was.

"I knew I had to try to win you Bella, to prevent you from having an existence with Edward as a vampire. I tried my best, I played fair and still I failed," I choked a little, feeling a little emotional as I turned to look up at the ceiling.

I felt Bella bend down beside me. "No you didn't," she whispered in my ear, her hand resting on my good arm, "you helped me see I love you and that means so much to me."

"But it's still not enough for you… you will move on and I will still be stuck here, always in love with you," I told her bitterly. As far as I could see, I was the only one who would lose out.

"I know it's hard to see, but someone will catch your eye one day, Jake." She was trying to make me feel special- it didn't work.  
>"Don't get your hopes up," I replied sourly, I could tell she was already trying to make herself feel a little better. While I could see she felt really guilty and was suffering, I was not willing to forgive her just yet.<p>

"I guess I deserve whatever I will suffer from you and from Edward. I hope it is bad; I deserve it," she told me as if dictating her own punishment. But I didn't want her to take all the blame- I was the one who pushed our relationship, I was the one who wanted her to know she loved me before _I_ could let her go, and now that she knew… I guess I always knew this pain would come.

"It's not all your fault," I eventually allowed. "I took the risk in being persistent; I knew it was a long shot that I could change your mind. But I could have handled the truth," I insisted in a stronger tone, "you shouldn't have hid it from me," I berated her, not certain whether I was feeling more angry or sad in that moment, as her betrayal collapsed on to me.

"I'm so sorry Jake; I never wanted to hurt you," Bella whispered tearfully, kissing my hand and resting her lips there. "I- I wish we didn't have to do this now- wish it didn't have to be this way, especially when you're like this, but I have to make a choice- I can't keep doing this to us," she mumbled against my skin as I felt her tears splash onto my hand.

I couldn't answer her; I knew what her choice would be. I turned to stare at the ceiling again, not meeting her gaze; I was too hurt- too angry to feel sympathy for her.

When she realized I was not going to reply to her tears and her makeshift apology, she suddenly asked, panic and fear in her voice: "I hope I have not destroyed our friendship, Jake…"

But even then, I couldn't answer her; I still felt too betrayed- by her and Edward; secrets were kept from me and while I knew she was sorry and we _could_ repair this, it would take time and I was not willing to guarantee my forgiveness.

Panicked by my silence, Bella begged desperately: "Please, will you come to my wedding and be my best man?"

I scoffed; no way was I going to be there the day she promised herself to a vampire- even if he was perhaps one of the kindest to have ever existed.

"You will always be my best friend, Jake, no matter what," she whispered, her voice quivering with emotion and anticipation.

I wanted to say the same back to her, but I couldn't say the words. The reality of the wedding, the fact that she would be tied to Edward forever was too much for me to accept.

"I can't promise that," I told her stiffly and unemotionally as if I didn't care what she wanted.

As I expected, Bella began to cry again. "Please Jake," she begged, her little hands wrapped around my right, her lips still pressed to my skin.

"No."

She gasped and lifted her head to look into my eyes which were becoming watery too.

"Oh Jake, I'm so sorry- I never wanted to hurt you- I don't know what I was thinking!"

"I know, but I'm not going to your wedding Bella."

"Please- please change your mind," she continued to beg, it was almost pathetic; there was no way I would change my mind.

"I think you better leave," I told her.

Bella paused as if she was going to argue, but then she looked at my tired, clammy face, and decided against it.

"Okay," Bella whispered reluctantly, standing up weakly as if she could barely support her weight on her own two feet. I stared at her, my face tight as I tried not to portray how hurt I was that soon she would officially be Edward's, that all of my efforts led to a whole world of pain. However my eyes betrayed me- tears began to fall.

Bella reached over to wipe away a tear from my cheek- thankfully she did not begin to cry again; I wanted her to leave.

"I hope you feel better soon. I love you, Jake," Bella whispered. I could tell she was trying to stop herself from sobbing at the sight of me.

"You know how much I wish that were enough."

"I'm sorry," she whispered tearfully as she bent over my head and kissed my cheek. "Bye Jake."

Before I could respond, she ran out of my room. I could hear her crying as she ran past my father on her way to her truck.

I lay on my bed hoping Dad wouldn't come in- I just wanted to be left alone. Nothing but sadness, disappointment and pain could be felt- tears were my only company as I cried myself to sleep.

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Author's note: So quite a lot of this chapter differed from canon. I'm sorry I went off track a bit, but I hope you don't mind. Given that Jacob more recently found out about their engagement, and hadn't had the chance for closure (like he did in Eclipse), I hope you found it justified that he was more angry/hurt in this chapter than in canon. But please tell me what you thought!

The next chapter takes place at the beginning of Breaking Dawn, so I just wanted to briefly mention that Jacob and Edward do not see each other between the end of this chapter and when Jake receives the invitation to their wedding. As in canon, Jacob runs off upon receiving it. However, given the events in 'Trust me' the Cullens as well as Bella are quite concerned for him. Whenever they go hunting, the Cullens would see if they could smell his scent, but of course, never sensed anything. They all hoped he would return for the wedding, mostly to see that he was okay, but also because they wanted him to be there; all of them sort of have a soft spot for him.

Jacob was hurt, not so much at losing Bella's heart (though that was a large part of it), but from being lied to; after all, he and Edward were playing 'fair', and he didn't see proposing marriage as being fair (understandably). Edward's earnest assertion that he wanted what was best for Bella, Jacob felt it was all a lie; he trusted Edward, and his and Bella's betrayal is what hurt him most.

So on that note, what did you think of Edward telling Jake the truth about their engagement in this way (compared to canon when he says it in the tent, knowing Jake was in earshot)? Did you enjoy Carlisle's POV? I personally found it quite hard to write from his perspective actually. Please, please take a moment from your busy Christmas weekend to let me know your thoughts about my 'Christmas present' ;) As always, I so can't wait to hear what you think!

So the next chapter is called: 'Dead man walking'. It would have to be tied first as my favourite to write and create, so I hope you enjoy it! I'll post it up on Saturday :)


	20. Chapter 19 Dead Man Walking

Author's note: I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed on the previous chapters- I hope you enjoyed your gift! I suppose this chapter is like a New Years present, so I hope you enjoy it. This chapter and chapter 21 are probably tied first as my favourite chapters- I will tell you why at the end of each chapter. So as I said at the end of the previous chapter, the scenes in this segment are from Breaking Dawn (I have noted the page numbers for your reference, should you require it). Given this, there are some quotes that are directly taken from the book. Please note that these were not my creation, but that of Stephenie Meyer.

I am very eager to hear your thoughts about this one- a _huge_ favourite of mine and one I put an extra amount of time and effort in to. Happy reading!

Response to reviews:

Chris110: I know I have already responded to your review, but I just wanted to say thank you once again for your compliments! I am so glad you love my story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter :) Re. part II, I am so glad you enjoyed the emotional intensity in this chapter, and that you liked the friendship, respect and trust that has developed between Jacob and Edward. Writing the final scene between the two boys was really heartbreaking for me, because I knew how much Edward didn't want to hurt the boy, but given how Bella was refusing to say anything, he felt he needed to- he couldn't keep the secret any more. We will see what happens to their friendship in this chapter ;)

RainGoddess2040: Aww thank you! Yes the boys really do need some love don't they? Both were going through a hard time :( And for part 2, I am sorry to make you cry! And I'm glad you liked Carlisle's POV and the scene at the end with Edward and Jacob.

Altairra: Thanks for saying so! I am so glad you enjoyed it, especially insight into Edward's feelings- they definitely do care about each other. And for part 2, I'm so glad you loved the chapter! You will have to read this chapter to see if they become friends again ;)

Yoda11: Thank you! And I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. And have an awesome 2012!

1sweetmoment: Thank you so much for all your praise. I am so glad you enjoyed the 'irrational' though not so irrational fears Jacob had, and how each image was short and simple, yet had a huge affect on Jacob and Edward. That is really what I was going for, so I am so glad you loved it! And yes, I totally agree! I am sure humans do that too just with their own horrific injuries which they acquired via normal means! Lol. I swear, all of the reviews you leave me are so perfect and highlight every single thing I hoped to achieve in the chapter! Thank you! And I'm so glad I was able to elicit an 'aww' from you. I have a feeling that may happen again in this chapter :P

Reinbeau: Haha, yes sadly in this situation when he is terrified and in a lot of pain, poor Jake does have more imagination than sense! But I hope you also have a little sympathy for him ;)

Eruhin: Aww yay! I am so happy I didn't disappoint you! I really wanted it to be good and I am very glad you felt I did a good job! You are so right; it was his subconscious and his deepest fears that was driving his behaviour and his thoughts, rather than his head! And yes, Edward's presence is definitely a comfort for Jacob, you are so right. I'm so delighted you are enjoying the trust being formed between the two guys- it has been my favourite part about writing this story! And re. part 2, thank you! I really focus on emotional scenes, I consider them to be my 'speciality' (If I may say so myself lol), so I really put a lot of effort into them. For that reason, I hope you like this chapter! I am sorry to not provide you with what Edward/Jacob said when they saw each other again, but I intend on writing 'Broken parts 1 and II' from Jacob's POV as an outtake, so you'll find out what they said. I also loved the 'I trust you'- I actually thought of it the day before I published the chapter, so I was happy to get that in on time! Haha, I would hope no one would use my story as a guide on how to break someone's bones, but I totally understand your point- thank you, I try to give as much detail as possible!

Nicky1992: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter and that I went slightly off canon- the reason why I did it is exactly for the reason you suggest- because I wanted to create interesting plot twists. So I'm happy you approve!

Jaruto: Haha, no thank you for leaving me a review and for being such an awesome reader! Yeah it always makes me sad when I make Jacob or Edward cry (well, you know what I mean lol). I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that you will have an exciting new year!

Sweetie7smiled: I know I have already responded to your review, but thank you again for being honest with me and letting me know your opinion about my characterization of Bella :) I hope you enjoy this chapter- it is very Jacob/Edward focused!

Trust me

Chapter 19- Dead man walking

Jacob's POV

(see pages 54 to 60 of Breaking Dawn for the beginning of this scene).

I couldn't believe how defensive Bella was getting about not being able to have a proper honeymoon with Edward. I understood- I was even grateful that it was going to be as boring as 'playing a game of checkers', and that definitely wasn't a bad thing.

"I _can_ have a real honeymoon!" she snapped at me, her eyes fiery with indignation. "I can do anything I want! Butt out!"

I froze. Bella stood still in my arms as we stopped revolving to the music. I stared at her in disbelief- what did she mean by that? She could not have meant what I thought she meant; Bella wasn't _that_ stupid.

"What?" I spluttered exasperated, hoping against all hope that I was wrong. "What do you mean you're still going to have a real honeymoon? When you're still human? That's a sick joke Bella," I told her praying that it was indeed a joke- something she devised to make me jealous or even angry- I much prefer she turn against me that way than actually want this.

"It's none of your business what I do! We shouldn't even be talking about this; it's private!" she hissed at me.

I could see it in her eyes that what I had guessed was true. Bella and Edward were going to have a 'real' honeymoon and every part of my body told me that it had to be stopped; Bella would not survive.

I grabbed onto the tops of Bella's arms, my grip tight around her shoulder blades.

"Ow, Jake! Let go!" she yelled, cringing away from me, trying to fight against me. I knew Edward at the very least would have heard her cry for help, but I didn't care. I had to stop Bella- this wasn't about jealousy or betrayal anymore, this was about Bella's life- Edward could kill her!

"Bella!" I screamed at her. "Have you lost your mind? You can't be that stupid! Tell me you are joking!" I demanded, shaking her violently. I watched Bella's head move back and forth with my motion, to then realize that I was shaking too. I fought to stay in control; I could not leave until Bella had promised me she wouldn't go through with this suicide plan.

"Jake, stop it!" Bella shrieked, her eyes wide as she stared into my face and saw the fury there.

Suddenly the small enclave we were in became very crowded; I could smell Edward approaching and I knew Sam was in his wolf-form standing nearby, but I didn't care; I was not giving up.

"Let go of her," Edward threatened me, finally coming into the clearing so I could see his face more clearly. He stood next to Bella looking livid, his eyes were narrowed and his teeth were bared.

The moment I saw his face, anger, betrayal and disappointment filled me; it was the first time I had seen him since he left me bandaged, useless, and hurt beyond expression.

I was still so pissed at him, but even if I wasn't, I still couldn't let Bella go; she wouldn't take me seriously if I did, and she had to know that this was a mistake no matter how much she loved Edward. Behind Edward was Seth who came to stand by me, his hand on my shoulder.

"Come on bro, back away," he encouraged me, tugging on my arm. "You're losing it." And I knew I was losing it, I could feel rage building up inside of me that could easily crack my control. I kept flexing my grip on Bella's shoulders trying to release my anger somehow. I didn't want to hurt Bella, but I couldn't back down from this.

"Jake, let go," Seth insisted again; he was watching Bella closely. "You'll hurt her."

I stared at Bella, angry tears forming in my eyes when I realised I had already hurt her.

"Let her go _now_," Edward hissed at me, taking a step forward so he could easily attack me should I not obey his orders.

I stared into his face and saw a darkness pass over his eyes- I could tell I was pushing him to the edge of his limits and would be in serious danger if I did not release Bella.

I let Bella go without realizing I had; my mind was racing, my heartbeat accelerating as I stared at Edward. It occurred to me that Bella would be delusional about her perfect husband, but Edward- Edward knew what he was capable of. My fury turned on him.

Edward quickly grabbed Bella and moved her ten feet away, then placed himself in between us, his eyes now glaring at mine.

I felt my spine shiver rapidly, my fists clenched at my sides. Seth was still near me.

"Step away, Seth," Edward ordered and I knew he could sense what was coming. Seth hesitated, but finally took multiple steps back.

Not daring to speak due to my shaking rage, I viciously remembered the look on Edward's face when he lost patience with me two years ago; he had ran his finger over every bruise he made on my skin. I saw Edward cringe away from the memory, but he tried to hide it as if the image and the emotions I forced onto him didn't bother him.

_Is that what you want to do to her? _I demanded of Edward, desperately hoping he would listen to me as helpless, frustrated tears poured down my face.

Edward continued to stare at me, clearly determined not to show his true feelings. My tactic wasn't working, but I wasn't going to give up; I was desperate.

"I can't believe how stupid you both are!" I shouted, my voice breaking, my lips trembling as I glared between Edward and Bella, no longer caring who heard me or who I was hurting.

Edward approached me so that we were centimeters apart, his face furious, yet I could see a hint of my pain in his eyes. I could hear Sam by my left side, prepared to defend me should he need to.

"How dare you speak that way to my wife and me on our wedding day? Now leave before you cause a scene," Edward ordered, whispering dangerously through his teeth.

Edward had simply dismissed my reminder, but this wasn't about jealousy or competition, but about Bella's safety. I was too angry- too edgy to continue speaking, especially given that Sam was pushing his muzzle against my chest, forcing me backwards.

_You know I'm right, _I thought threateningly at Edward, swiping away my tears. _If that's what you could do to me, imagine how much you will hurt Bella! _I knew he heard me; his brows knitted together, his mouth turned into a frown for a split second and I could see he was worried like I was. This was my moment to change his mind- I had to try.

_I thought you loved her, _I told Edward, and as I said it, I felt myself becoming emotional, because if there was one thing I thought I could count on it was that Edward would never do anything to hurt Bella. _I was wrong._

Suddenly, Edward was inches in front of my face- he had to push past Sam to get there. He looked furious, his eyes shooting daggers. I knew I had hurt him and I was glad; this was the only way I could change his mind.

"I do," he mumbled through his teeth trying to prevent others from hearing.

I shook my head as a single tear escaped from my right eye; the truth of what I was about to say weighed heavily on my heart. _I always knew Bella would be better off with me because I would always put her safety before her desire for human experiences. She chose to give that up when she married you, _I told him in a non-threatening way; I wanted him to hear me, to believe me, to change. And yet, I knew I was pushing Edward to his limit and I hoped Sam could handle Edward's reaction.

The vampire crouched low, an aggravated growl escaped his lips, and I could see that part of his agitation was because he knew I was right.

I watched Edward, my expression scathing in return; I was not going to let him intimidate me.

I smelt Bella approaching and knew Sam and Edward could sense her too. I saw Edward relax somewhat when he heard Bella's light footsteps.

"Come on Edward," she whispered, dried tears on her cheeks as she tugged Edward away, completely avoiding my gaze. I paid her no attention either; I was so focused on my goal.

As I watched Edward retreat, Bella's hand in his, I noticed that he never took his eyes off me. No matter how many times I pushed against Sam, the alpha would not let me past as he gradually nudged me further into the cover of the forest. As I was forced to move, my heart began to sink; I wanted to chase after them until Edward promised me he wouldn't touch her, but I knew Sam would not allow me. My one last hope- my final attempt popped into my mind just before Edward left my sight.

_If you hurt her, _I hissed, _I will never forgive you, _I promised dangerously.

He didn't reply so he could keep up appearances in front of Bella, but the look on Edward's face was one of self-doubt, of fear, and of sadness.

I had hurt him. I only hoped it was enough to save her…

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(Events that occur prior to page 160 of Breaking Dawn also happen up to this point in 'Trust me'. Alterations after page 160 are as follows though some of the dialogue still remain the same- enjoy!).

Jacob's POV

…

There was a time when I thought Edward was not a monster because his behaviour towards me was always in favour of an opposing reality. But the truth was that no matter what he did, said or felt, he was still a monster, and that thing inside Bella was a monster, because its father was.

I warned him at their wedding- I knew he would kill her.

Edward's head snapped up upon hearing these words in my mind. He stood up slowly looking pained, but I was beyond caring. I followed his movements so we were both standing.

"Outside, Jacob," he insisted, and at first I thought he was throwing me out, until he turned around to give Bella a kiss.

_With pleasure, _I granted him, more than eager to tell Edward more fully what I thought. I couldn't say such things in front of Bella- I did not want her to get upset; she was too delicate.

"What are you going to do?" Bella asked Edward as if he was the one who had control over this situation.

"We're just going to have a talk," Edward told her calmly, yet he obviously knew that was not going to happen, he was just hiding it from her.

My attitude must have shown on my face, because then Bella turned to look at me, her eyes pleading: "Behave."

"We will _both_ return to you soon, Love," Edward said kindly as he stroked Bella's face and kissed her forehead. It made me furious to see that he was still permitted to touch Bella that way after what he had done to her.

Edward led the way out of his home. I looked back at Bella and saw she was worried. Rosalie was now sitting in Edward's position running her fingers through Bella's brown hair. I turned my attention back to Edward who was walking slowly (for him) towards the forest so we could have some privacy. This made me happy- it would be easier to kill him this way- no interference.

"You do not get to kill me yet," Edward told me rationally as if his words would stop me.

"But it may not be long before you will have your chance," he added coldly, and then walked away from me in the direction of the driveway.

The bloodsucker was not going to get away that easily. The moment we were far enough up the drive, I was going to demand he tell me everything about Bella's condition before attacking him with every ounce of rage I possessed.

But we didn't get far before Edward suddenly stopped walking and turned around.

When I saw his face, I froze.

For a moment, I felt like a child who could list multiple broken bones as the worst pain I had ever felt- and that wasn't nearly enough to match whatever hell Edward was living in. I watched Edward's face. It looked as if he were about to scream. His mouth was open, but not a sound left his frozen lips. His eyes were wide, but fear did not fill them. Instead, they were hollow; his eyes were so dark it was as if there was no one there. Slowly, painfully, Edward scraped his fingers across his forehead as if trying to inflict pain upon himself by ripping off his skin.

I was scared when I saw this happen. Edward looked like he was going insane. But somehow I felt that this was only the beginning- a hint of how he truly felt. I had seen glimpses of this pain in the house, but during those times he still looked… alive.

Not anymore.

Edward stumbled away from me. The longer I watched him, the sooner my anger at him turned into a fear of him, but also of his agony. I prayed I would never know the pain that was haunting him. I didn't realize vampires could stumble, but I didn't question it- I just followed the vampire as he struggled further up the driveway. Eventually I couldn't stay silent anymore; Edward had not reacted to any of my thoughts, of which I had several, and I wanted answers.

"It's killing her isn't it?" I asked, my tone struggling to keep out the fear I felt.

Edward looked at me. My breath caught in my throat. I desperately wished he would turn away. I knew he was looking at me, but somehow it felt like a dead body, rather than a sentient being, was staring at me.

"Yes," Edward finally breathed. It almost made me sigh with relief to hear him speak.

Yet despite this, I was still furious at the vampire for allowing this to happen.

"If you were me, would you have thought your sperm would still be viable?" Edward countered my unspoken accusation.

He had a point; vampires didn't even have blood anymore, they didn't even have normal human cells, so the fact that his sperm (I cringed at the idea) were still living was surprising.

I shook my head in response. I thought that perhaps my agreeing with him would have calmed Edward down a little, but it didn't. He paced over the gravel that lined their driveway, his head in his hands and his eyes shut.

"Can't someone get it out of her?" I demanded, wondering why no one had thought of doing it.

"We could," Edward muttered without looking at me, still pacing. "But Bella won't let us." My immediate reaction was to object; surely a group of vampires could manage to sedate Bella? After all, they had no problem doing something similar to me, a werewolf. But then it hit me:

"She wants to keep it," I stated in a dead voice.

Edward didn't, or perhaps couldn't answer so I took this to mean 'yes'.

"It's so typical Bella- 'I want to save the monster that's killing me, even if I die'".

At this, Edward stopped his incessant pacing to look at me, his eyes pointing in my direction, but I felt he couldn't really see me as if his mind were miles away.

"You know her so well," he stated in a dark tone as if it were a threat, but somehow I knew it wasn't. "At first I thought she was afraid, we barely talked during the plane trip home. When we arrived at the airport she ran into Rosalie's arms- Rosalie's!" He paused to take a breath as if this fact really upset him. I didn't blame him- of all the people I would have wanted Bella to side with, Rosalie would have been my very last choice by a long way.

"Only then did I know what she was thinking," Edward admitted apparently bewildered that he had not thought of it sooner.

"You'd think we would expect it by now," I mumbled.

"You realised far quicker than I did," Edward stated, his tone indifferent. "You understand her in a way I don't…"

Then Edward's tone changed as if he remembered something important, something he felt hopeful about… something he wanted me to do.

"You must speak with her."

I stared at him blankly. Was he mad? I knew Bella, and there was nothing I could say that would change her mind.

"You must try!" Edward insisted, yelling out of desperation.

"What would I even say to her? 'Hey Bella, please let us kill your baby before it kills you?'" I asked sarcastically.

"No," Edward said shortly. "Tell her that if she wants to have children, she can have children, but not like this."

I stared at Edward in disbelief. I paused to contemplate what this even meant. Eventually, my eyebrows lifted in shock. But before I could clarify his meaning, Edward continued:

"If Bella wants, she can have as many half-human, half-werewolf babies as she'd like," and what scared me most was that Edward wasn't even joking. This guy was getting desperate.

"She will never go for that," I told Edward and the idea was sick anyway; it wouldn't be right. I didn't even know if I could share Bella, though the possibility was definitely tempting.

"For her- please? You have nothing to lose," Edward begged.

Although losing Bella to death would be the greatest loss I could face, being rejected by her was not something I wanted to go through again. But Edward was right; this was for Bella- I had to try.

Eventually I conceded: "I will try, but it won't work," I told Edward, warning him not to get his hopes up; mine certainly weren't.

Thinking that this was the end of our conversation I began to walk back to the house, my anger at him forgotten. My mind had suddenly become focused on Bella and my mission. Once I had failed, I could happily continue to blame Edward for what he had done.

But Edward wasn't finished with me yet.

"Jacob."

I spun around to face him again.

"If Bella does not survive this, promise me you will kill me," Edward requested and I could tell he was relying heavily on my hatred of him. I wasn't sure whether he was too tortured in his own mind to have heard my thoughts clearly, but I knew I could not agree to his request. Had he asked me when we first walked outside, I would have agreed wholeheartedly, but I couldn't make that promise now.

"I suppose death is the easy way out," Edward guessed, thinking that this was my reason, but he was incorrect.

"That's not it," I told him, "though that is true," I allowed. "I am really pissed at you, but I…" I paused wondering whether I could finish my sentence without feeling like a complete idiot. "I feel I won't be able to kill you."

"You are perfectly capable," Edward stated coldly.

"I wouldn't be willing," I clarified.

Edward was speechless for a moment- he definitely was not expecting this.

"But I am sure someone in my pack will do it," I added quickly, hoping he wouldn't dwell on why I wouldn't kill him. Unfortunately, despite the state he was in, Edward wouldn't latch on to my bait.

"Surely what I have done to Bella, and the pain I left you in eight months ago erases every good thing I have _ever_ done for you?" Edward asked, almost aggressively, angry at me perhaps for no longer being angry.

"Yeah, probably, but I couldn't do it to your family. Alice, Carlisle, Esme…" I shivered as I imagined the way they would look at me if I was the reason their brother/son was dead.

"I couldn't hurt them that way," I whispered, and I knew that as corny as I sounded, it was true. _They love you._

But Edward went ballistic- apparently he didn't want me to care about how his family would react; probably because it only made him feel worse about leaving them should Bella die.

"I would tell them not to stop you- not to hunt for you- I would tell them this is what I want- they will survive without me!" Edward argued, stepping closer to me so we were only three feet apart.

I took a step away from him; his empty black eyes had become more eerie somehow.

"I'm sure," I accepted. "But you'll have to ask someone else. I am sure Leah will happily do it; she despises vampires," I told him with confidence; I had no doubt she would have great pleasure in the task. But then I realised that, as her Alpha, I would probably try to stop her, so I quickly made a more plausible suggestion: "Or better yet, Paul- he would have _no_ qualms," and of that, I was certain.

Edward stared at me for a moment, and saw in my thoughts that I was not changing my mind. He turned his back on me and walked further up the driveway. I followed him, uncertain when we were returning to the house- he definitely did not appear to be ready, but I was eager to get back to Bella; we had been gone for a while.

Suddenly, Edward turned around again but he didn't look at me. Instead he stared over my shoulder at the large white house behind me.

"I wanted to address your thoughts about this being my fault," the final word spoken in a broken whisper. "However, this was not the main reason why I asked you outside. I wanted to use it as a cover for my true purpose."

I didn't need to ask what that purpose was; it was all over his face- I saw glimpses of it in the living room back at the Cullen's: he wanted to suffer.

I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, whether to go back and say he would return soon, or to wait for him. Before I could ask, I saw Edward freeze, his body completely immobile and then suddenly he fell to his knees.

Edward grabbed fistfuls of his hair, his teeth gritted together as he tugged.

I froze as I watched him, truly frightened that he had lost his mind with guilt and emotional pain.

"Edward," I protested, torn between walking away from his pain and trying to stop him from physically torturing himself.

"Just give me a minute," he snapped at me. "Run off for a while- don't go back to the house without me," he ordered, his fingers still clasped tightly around his bronze hair.

"But I-" I tried to protest, but Edward cut across me.

"I _need _to feel…" Edward broke off searching for the correct word. Amazingly, his hands came away from his hair and slammed against his chest- the sound made me jump. "I need to feel _this,_" and it was clear to me that there were no words Edward could use to describe what 'this' was.

"Okay," I whispered, but I couldn't walk away; and it wasn't because I enjoyed watching him suffer. I was actually concerned for him, especially when he sat firmly on the ground and resumed pulling his hair with one hand and biting down on the other's fist. At first I wondered why he did this until I heard a muffled, anguished scream of terror, anger, grief, remorse… he didn't want anyone to hear. I was glad he was biting down on his fist because I think he would have deafened me otherwise.

I walked as close to Edward as I dared, reached down and tried to pry his fingers from his hair.

"Stop," I whispered. At first I thought he didn't hear me, but then Edward pulled his fist out of his mouth faster than I could see.

"Get away from me, Jacob," Edward warned sharply, and I could tell he needed that moment's pause to pull himself together.

"Hurting yourself doesn't do any good."

"It makes me feel better," he tried to convince me, but without any real conviction in his voice. I knew he was just trying to hurt himself as much as possible so the emotional and psychological pain would be lessened.

"Nothing can make it better."

"Jacob, I don't want to hurt you," Edward almost pleaded and I knew he wanted me to get away from him should he become aggressive.

"You won't hurt me," I said with more confidence than I felt. But at the same time, I knew this was not about his intentions, but whether he could keep his feelings under control.

Edward stared up at me with his empty, endless black eyes. I knew he wanted me to leave, but his eyes frightened me. There was seriously nothing _there_. Even when he was thirsty the night he found me after I was bitten by Victoria, his eyes were black, but there was life to them; they moved, they were a bright black (if that were possible) and they were focused. But now… his eyes were that of a dead man, and they frightened me.

"I have to hide this from her," Edward explained, but I wasn't really listening, I was too spooked by his demeanor; I did not recognize him at all.

Nevertheless, I forced myself to listen, especially when I heard Edward's voice break, the first sign that there was life beneath the monotone.

"My guilt makes her weaker. But the pain inside me…" Edward stopped then, his hand over his chest as if he was trying to push the hurt back inside. "It is too much for me to hide any longer," Edward told me, his face deranged- his usually 'perfect' features had turned monstrous.

I just stared at him; there were no words to describe how I felt as I watched him. All I felt like doing was reaching out and forcing the life back into the vampire before his tortured face could begin to haunt me in my sleep. In the end, I reached towards him, not really certain what my objective was.

Edward pushed my arm roughly aside before I could even touch him.

He was angry- angry that I had tried to comfort him, if that was what I was trying to do…

"Give me a moment to punish myself so when I return to Bella I feel as if I have experienced at least some of the pain she is going through!" he screamed at me. I had never seen someone look so desperate.

I knew what Edward wanted: to be alone. But given how many times he had denied me that privilege in the past, there was no way I was going to give him that now. Although I hated Edward for not being able to see what I could: that he would do anything to keep Bella happy, the extent to which he was willing to punish himself was not something I could allow to happen.

Slowly, I squatted down in front of Edward, but I kept my distance; I was just out of range should he decide to grab me. Edward's head sharply lifted as he stared into my eyes. I expected him to be confused or perhaps surprised, but again I saw nothing, only black, hollow emptiness. It took a lot of what I had to stay so close to him, where both of us were feeling vulnerable, even if he wasn't showing it in his face. His appearance would have been enough to suggest I was pushing his limits to a dangerous level, but I stood my ground.

"Experiencing pain doesn't help her," I muttered quietly, staying very still hoping that my words would sink in. "I understand you want to punish yourself for what you have done, and if it really does make you feel better I won't stop you. But I'm not leaving you alone."

"Why?" Edward demanded in a broken whisper, his throat sounded dry and weak.

"I don't trust you. I think your pain has clouded your judgment," I said gently, but with authority; I could not let him make any important decisions at the moment, he was borderline insane.

Edward stared at me for a moment, I had a feeling he was listening to my thoughts and sure enough, he replied: "I cannot kill myself, it is impossible." Yet if it were possible, I had the distinct feeling he would have made an attempt on his own life. I tried to push this out of my mind as I continued persistently.

"I know, but do you remember what you told me at the beginning of this conversation, about why I couldn't kill you yet?"

"I know Bella needs me, but I cannot be there for her when I feel this way!" Edward shouted as he shoved me backwards. I landed, sprawled on my back, but I quickly returned to my crouching position, not that I needed to rush; Edward hadn't moved.

"Feel better?" I asked sarcastically, approaching Edward once more, though more carefully than before; Edward could truly hurt me if he wanted; that push was nothing.

"I told you to leave me alone!" Edward shouted again and made to lash out at me. Prepared this time, I quickly ducked and then forced my hands to his upper arms in an attempt to restrain his movement.

In that moment, I realised I had no chance against a vampire, especially one with a gift to read minds. Before I could change my actions however, I was surprised to feel my hands tight on Edward's arms. I could feel his ice-cold skin through his clothing, and surprisingly he hadn't laid a hand on me- yet.

Edward paused for a moment as he looked at my hands and then at my face.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, and I could tell then that he realised I was putting myself in danger by being so forceful with him.

"Trying to help," I insisted through my teeth, preparing myself for whatever he had to throw at me. Edward pushed against me again. I almost let go of him in shock- Bella could have pushed harder than that! Something must seriously be wrong and indeed, his face was too absent and unfocused, too distracted with Bella and guilt to destroy me like he was capable of doing. Even so, Edward continued to make consistent attempts to remove my hands from his arms; he did not want me to be crouching in front of him. Edward wanted to suffer alone, and although he continued to swipe my hands away, I knew his mind was miles away from me and my burning skin.

"Stop it, Edward. Stop! Listen to me!" I said loudly, trying to bring him back to Earth.

"No," he said simply, his eyes no longer looking at me but somewhere in space. But I had had enough of waiting for him to come around; patience was not my virtue.

"Without you, Bella will die. I don't want that to happen and I know you don't either. So you need to be okay. I'm trying to help you because I don't want Bella to suffer any more than she has to- I want her to survive this. We both want the same thing."

At these words, Edward stopped pushing against me. I didn't like this Edward at all; he was far too easy to sway. But now that I had his attention, I needed to think of something more to say- something that would distract him from actively hurting himself.

"Hear me out," I asked of him somewhat desperately, "you have nothing to lose."

To my surprise, Edward continued to stare at me, his eyes endlessly dark, but I could tell he was listening. I moved a bit closer to him, and then slowly, cautiously, I reached forward and placed my hands firmly on the vampire's shoulders.

"Your eyes are empty," I told him seriously, and I allowed him to see an image of how he appeared to me. I felt Edward tense ever so slightly beneath my grasp, but he didn't utter a sound. "They look dead. It scares me. I feel you've driven yourself insane with guilt."

"I am insane- insane for ever loving her to begin with. She should be with you." Finally I gained some understanding of what he was thinking.

"No one can help who they love, but yes, she should be," I supported him, because I had always known that Bella and I were meant for each other. "But," I continued, feeling a little lame, "you love her too."

"My 'love' will kill her, like I always knew it would!" Edward yelled, and I could see how much he also, in the back of his mind, feared that Bella's life had ended when they fell in love.

"I had a feeling she would get hurt or even killed, and now that she has, I am furious; we could have prevented this if you just listened to me," I pointed out rather harshly. I felt my blood boil slightly, because I knew that that day at the wedding could have meant such a different future for Bella if Edward had only heeded my advice.

Edward's gasp of exasperation in reaction to my thoughts as well as my words, made me jump.

"But Bella chose you- it's what she wanted," I tried to mend; there was nothing we could do about that now.

"She doesn't want to die!"

"No, but she wanted a _human_ honeymoon, she was so defensive at the wedding about it, I knew it must've been her idea and not yours. But even if you suspected she may fall pregnant, would that have stopped you?" I challenged Edward, knowing the answer, but wanting to see if he had enough insight to know it himself.

"I would not have let this happen!" he objected, his face showing the first true sign of rage that night.

"I don't believe you," I told him gently, "because you want to make her happy. She would plead, maybe even cry so she could have the perfect honeymoon: one of her final experiences as a human. I know you would not have taken that away from her. Bella has a way of getting what she wants with you because you feel so guilty about the immortal life you will one day give her," I cringed inwardly as I pushed the idea aside; for now, Bella was still human. "You feel so guilty that you would want her to have as many human experiences as possible while she still can. If you wanted to- use- protection, or- or not do it at all she wouldn't go for that- in her eyes the risk was worth it."

"Nothing is worth her life!" Edward hissed at me, pushing the wrist on my left arm, forcing that hand off his shoulder.

"_I_ know that," I emphasised, placing my left hand over my heart, "but Bella disagrees!" I pointed out, gesturing towards the house.

"Don't blame her for this, Wolf," Edward growled in a threatening tone.

"I'm not," I quickly reinforced, my arms up in surrender. "You love her and you never wanted to hurt her. And then, the happiest moment of her life and yours finally arrives, and this is the result of that night. It is tragic, but that was the way it was meant to be- it was inevitable," I said rather sadly and felt helpless in the whole matter.

"This- was- my- fault!" Edward screamed each word separately, and each word he shook me by the shoulders, my arms falling loosely to my sides; I did not want to resist him. "You _know_ this is my fault!" Edward told me hysterically, and I could see the desperation in his eyes; he wanted me to blame him- to get mad. But I couldn't because I knew it was not entirely his fault; as much as it pained me, I knew the blame primarily rested with Bella.

"Although I always knew this would happen, I never once thought you would _want_ this to for her- you love her too much for that. I can see the agony in your face," I told him, trying to sound indifferent. Slowly Edward met my gaze and released my shoulders. "You never wanted to hurt her, but you have," I said more delicately, becoming a little spooked that Edward was still glaring at me. Hesitantly I continued: "I am angry with you because I have to blame _someone_- I have to vent to the person I think most deserves it. Of course I blame you, but really…" I whispered gently, forcing my hands to resume their positions on Edward's shoulders. "I just hate the fact that you and Bella have put me in this situation."

"No one hates me more than I hate myself," Edward informed me unnecessarily; that was evident in his face the first moment he broke down.

"True, but as the person who would hate you second most, I feel I should tell you that…" I paused, not quite certain if I believed what I wanted to say: "You made a mistake."

Edward stared at me in silence and for the first time, I saw shock written all over his face.

I still couldn't quite accept that the pain and damage Bella was suffering was simply the result of a 'mistake', but I swallowed those doubts and reinforced a truth I had never truly believed until now: "Everyone, even vampires, make mistakes."

At this, Edward turned away from me, and then rested his head in his hands. I rubbed his arms gently, hoping that I had finally forced him to see what I saw.

"This was not your fault, Edward," I whispered, moving a little closer to him.

Suddenly, I heard a dry sob. Edward's head was still buried in his hands, but he leaned against me a little as he muttered shakily through his fingers: "She is dying because of me."

"She is dying because you were on your honeymoon and she fell pregnant which is what happens to many people-"

"But I'm not human- I am a vampire! My kind are not supposed to procreate, especially with a human!" Edward started shouting again, his voice sounding strained and cracked. Then Edward removed his hands from his face, reached up and grabbed onto his hair again, his face was frozen in a deranged expression.

I immediately dragged Edward's hands away from his hair, saying as I did so: "Now that it has happened, there is no way Bella would kill something that is a part of you. You may have started this, but it is Bella's choice to keep it- to risk her life. She could end the pain if she wanted to. That's what we have to focus on now; we need to try to stop her, and if not… then that's her choice," I reminded him, my eyes narrowed because I hated the idea that Bella was the one who got to decide her fate.

"It is because that creature is a part of me that she is dying- she is wasting away because that is what I am- a monster- a leech!" Edward went to raise his arms again, but I held them tightly; inflicting pain on himself was not going to help anyone.

"To any normal person that would be true, anyone could see that… except Bella."

"Bella knows- she blames me- deep down she blames me." And I could see that this belief was what hurt Edward the most, yet in my eyes, it was the least true thing he had said all night.

"No, she doesn't. She loves you unconditionally, just like she loves the thing that's killing her. Bella probably loves her baby for what it's doing to her, because it reminds her of you; it is strong and special…" I paused to look at Edward to make sure he was still listening, and to emphasise how sincerely I believed what I was saying. "Just like its father."

Edward stared at me, frozen and tense. He looked like a statue except I could see his eyes moving; the cogs were turning and he was slowly (for a vampire) processing my words. The next moment, Edward turned away from me. The only sound I heard come from him was a sharp exhale of disbelief, and I was relieved to hear evidence that the guy was coming back to life. Then suddenly he turned back towards me, his face scrunched up with both pain and relief, as he roughly grabbed onto me and started to cry. I had to place my hand behind me to keep my balance, as the full force of Edward's weight ploughed into my chest. To maintain my balance, I shifted my legs under me so I could kneel on the ground, rather than squat. Edward never moved his forehead from my chest. I didn't feel any tears and he never sniffled, but his heaving sobs told me I had finally broke him. Perhaps he would listen to me now.

"This was not your fault, Edward. I know it feels like it, but it isn't…" I then swallowed, hardly believing what I was about to say given my final words to Edward on their wedding day. "I forgive you," I muttered in his ear, slowly moving my arm around Edward to pat him on the back.

It took a moment for Edward to regain his ability to speak; he could hardly get a word out through his sobs.

"Th-thank you," he eventually managed, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm so sorry, Jacob," he apologized, and I could hear that he meant it far more than words could ever express.

I rubbed his back a little harder as I pulled him closer to me. _You're welcome. _Edward pressed the top of his head into my chest in response; unable to continue talking for a while.

So I waited patiently for Edward to recover. His breathing was slowly decreasing to its usual rate; however his grip around my torso was beginning to bruise my ribs.

"I'm sorry," Edward breathed out as he released me, though much of his weight was still resting against me.

"It's okay," I whispered. Edward then supported his own weight as he stood up. This allowed him to study my face, and undoubtedly my thoughts. After his 'analysis' of me, I saw his eyes tighten with concern.

"I didn't mean to frighten you," he said seriously, his eyes now watching mine with an alive glow, rather than the dead-black emptiness nightmares were made of.

"I know," I readily acknowledged. "I guess emotions can be pretty powerful sometimes. It was hard to see how much your feelings were consuming you. I knew I had to save you from that if I could- for all our sakes," I told him honestly. Although Edward's frozen, horrific appearance did scare me, I couldn't blame him for the pain he wanted to inflict upon himself. The grief that was so plain upon his face, was something I could relate to: the dead man walking, physically alive, but emotionally numb to everything but an endless pit of despair. So when Edward grabbed on to me when emotions of relief spilled over, I could imagine how it felt to feel so lost that you need something real to latch on to.

"Thank you for your words, and your honesty. I will never completely forgive myself, but if not for you, I would still be in my own Hell. I would not wish my pain upon anyone," Edward muttered under his breath as he commented on my thoughts.

_I know, _I acknowledged. _And you're welcome._

We stood in silence for a few minutes in contemplation, and I wondered if Edward was going to break the silence by suggesting we should head back to Bella. But then I realized something I never noticed before, and to my surprise, I found myself shaking my head at my revelation. Then looking at Edward, I said: "you probably feel a little angry with Bella for putting you through this, for not allowing you to fix your mistake. I know I'm pissed off with her," I added, feeling frustrated as I said it. Now that Edward couldn't fix anything, there was no point in blaming him. Bella was the only one who could make a difference now.

Edward turned his head away from me, staring in the direction of his house. Eventually I heard him breathe a sigh of relief.

"Yes, a little," he admitted, his face still directed away from mine, though I could see the corner of his mouth raised slightly in a grim smile. "But please, do not tell her."

_I promise._

Edward's eyes widened suddenly, still staring towards his home. I wondered whether he could hear anyone's thoughts- whether someone was worried about where we'd got to. I was about to ask him what he could hear, when he whispered.

"Jasper… I'm fine. I'm sorry to put you through that. Do _not_ tell Bella any of this. We'll be back soon."

"He can sense your emotions from here?" I asked in disbelief; I thought we were far enough from the house to not to be heard by the Cullens or sensed by any of their gifts.

"No, they left Bella with Rosalie to find us. They were worried about you…"

I laughed dryly- if they only knew.

"My family heard us…" Edward informed me. "Esme- Esme, I'm okay," his voice suddenly soothing as he reassured his mother he would not doom himself to eternal suffering.

"What was she upset about?" I asked, wondering what his family thought about all of this, or whether they even knew how Edward truly felt about Bella's pregnancy.

"She is happy- relieved that I have begun to… _forgive_ myself."

"So they agree with me?" I asked, unable to keep the interest out of my tone.

"Yes… they have all tried various ways of saying 'it's not your fault'. Ironically, it was you who would be the one I'd listen to," Edward said with a bleak smile.

"Why believe me?" I asked him, curious.

"Because you would not leave me alone until I did," Edward chuckled, his white teeth shining in the moonlight.

_Seriously, _I pressed him, though I was glad he understood how I felt all those times when I allowed him to cheer me up; I had no other choice if I wanted to be left alone.

"Seriously, Jacob?" He confronted me, walking back towards me so we were face-to-face. "Because your hatred of me should have outweighed any desire you had to ease my pain, unless you truly believed what you were saying. My family love me- anything they say is biased by that love- they cannot see objectively."

"Neither can I," I pointed out.

"No," Edward laughed. "You were subjectively opposed to me, yet you were able to help me see what is truly important… acceptance." I couldn't help but return the smile Edward gave me when I saw his eyes come back to life: still black, but full of feeling… gratitude perhaps? "You also understand Bella far better than I do- you know her so well. It is typical that the one person I find most confusing to understand is also the one person I cannot hear," Edward reflected sadly. "You understand her love for me better than even I do. Thank you for helping me see what you see Jacob."

"I didn't do it for you," I couldn't help reminding him, but of course I couldn't keep the truth out of my thoughts. _You would have done the same for me._

Edward chuckled and nodded his head in agreement.

"Bella has been wondering where we are. I made them all promise not to tell her, except for Rosalie, who has no idea what has happened between us. Are you ready to return to the house?"

I nodded, but then my eyes narrowed as Edward walked ahead of me. "Are you?"

Edward stopped and turned to look at me.

"There are no words to describe how difficult it is to watch her suffer… but you are right and so is my family; this is regrettably what Bella wants, so…" he sighed. "I need to forgive myself; otherwise I will drive myself crazy with guilt again. If I cannot, then Bella will not survive this ordeal and- and neither will I."

"You will _both_ survive," I insisted. _Or else._

Chuckling, Edward turned his back on me and began walking towards the house again.

I then smiled and ran after Edward, ready to say whatever I could to Bella to try to change her mind. Even though I knew she wouldn't listen to me, like everything with Bella, I had to try.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note: So the reason why I loved this part of Breaking Dawn was to see Edward, who is normally so cool, calm and collected, breakdown to reveal his guilt, how much he despises what he is, and of course, his devoted love of Bella. In terms of Edward's character, I found this to be a defining moment for me, where I was able to better understand who he is. In my version, I made this moment even more emotionally gut-wrenching for Edward because Jacob warned him of how risky having a 'real' honeymoon would be, by making specific reference to the bruises Edward gave him. Essentially, the alterations I made to what Jacob said in Edward's moment of being a 'dead man' reflect my own views and opinions regarding Edward. I always saw Edward's struggle here as being tragic; he feels so terrible for being a vampire and subjecting Bella to such a fate, that he does everything in his power to give her every valuable human experience. Selfless and yet… it almost kills her.

But as Jacob said: even if Edward knew the consequences, I believe he could not have denied her that human experience- she would be happy to take the risk in order to have that precious moment with him. If he said no, she would cry and plead, and most likely Edward would cave. I am sure many of you disagree with me, but I believe Bella's pregnancy was inevitable; even if they knew the consequences, Bella would still take the risk- love to give birth to and nourish a baby who is a part of Edward. This is why my Jacob is able (however reluctantly) to forgive Edward; he sees the big picture and he understands Bella on a deeper level than even her husband. So bottom line, I really felt for Edward during his struggle and really wanted to emphasise it even more in my version.

Thank you so much for reading my thoughts! I really appreciate it :) I really, really hope you enjoyed the chapter and thought the alterations I made were reasonable and understandable given Jake and Edward's history together. I also plan (at some stage) to write this chapter from Edward's perspective for one of my outtakes :) So please, please, please review and share your thoughts with me! The next chapter has two parts, but I will post them up on separate days. I was very creative in naming the chapter: 'My imprint'. :P Next time I update will be on Tuesday- which is in the new year! So hope everyone has wonderful new year celebrations! See you on Tuesday :)


	21. Chapter 20 My Imprint Part I

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited, added this story to alerts etc. I so appreciate it!

A quick 'well done' to those of you who noticed in the previous chapter that Jake was not Leah's alpha yet (my apologies again for getting confused as to where the characters are at in terms of pack status!). So just to clarify, Jake should have told Edward in the previous chapter that Leah would happily do the honour of killing him, _without _mentioning that he is her alpha. Paul would not have come into it at all. I will go back and change this shortly.

About this chapter: I just wanted to say that I know that the Renesmee I portray in this chapter and the following one is more mentally advanced than in canon. The reasons being that I wanted Jacob's first experience and interaction with her to be interesting, and to reflect Renesmee's gift as well as her understanding of what he means to her. Given that we don't know what happens after Jake imprints, this is my own version, so this is my own imagination running free here! Nevertheless, I hope you still love this chapter!

Update on writing: So, I have finally finished writing 'Trust me'. It has ended up becoming 2 chapters longer than I intended, so I am hoping you guys are okay with that :P The epilogue will be split into two chapters (it's 40 A4 pages long!) but I hope you enjoy it, it's a little different :) So now as I promised, I will be updating twice a week from now until the story is complete. My updating days will be Tuesday and Saturday (as they were before).

Anyway, enough of my chatter, enjoy the chapter and please, please let me know what you think!

Reply to reviews:

Chris110: I know we've already spoken via PM, but just wanted to say again how much I appreciate your reviews and your enthusasism for my story! Thank you! Yes, I really wanted that chapter to be a 'what goes around comes around' type thing where the roles of Jake and Edward are reversed- it only seemed fair :P I am so glad you loved it so much! And I hope you enjoy this one too!

Samantha Kiely: Thank you so much for reviewing and your favouriting, author and story alert over the last week or so! Thanks so much! I sent you a PM about the end of your review- I hope your answers will be aptly satisfied in this chapter (crosses fingers). I think it's wonderful that when you read you try to get into the mind of the characters. And I am glad that you were terrified because it means my descriptions were detailed enough! So thank you for that valuable feedback. I hope you love this chapter!

Eruhin: I'm so glad it was one of your favourites! It's definitely one of mine :) I think you are totally right about Edward and his mind reading gift; it sometimes makes him short sighted, whereas Jake is able to see the bigger picture. And I am SO glad you agree with me re. the inevitability of Bella and Edward having a child, and that you understand their characters as I do. So glad you loved the hug, and also very happy that you liked the way I wrote Edward, I really wanted to make it as realistic as possible :) And the eyes are after all the 'windows into your soul' so I really used them as much as possible to convey how much pain Edward was in. Thank you for your amazing review. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Trust me

Chapter 20- My imprint Part 1

Jacob's POV

Bella's racing heart was a distant sound to me. Even though I knew it was a sure sign that Bella would be okay, not even something that miraculous could distract me from the strong pull I felt towards the little girl in front of me.

_This is impossible, _I told myself as I stared into the exact chocolate brown of Bella's eyes which were peaking at me from behind Rosalie's shoulder. Yet the intense love and devotion, the overwhelming sense of contentment and fulfillment, and the irresistible pull she had on me told me that this was not only possible, but very real.

"Oh my God," I whispered under my breath, as I fell to my knees; no longer able to support my weight under the amazing pull she had on me. It felt completely surreal.

To my surprise, Renesmee, who had been watching me, suddenly thrust her little arms in front of her, holding them out to me; she wanted me to hold her. I immediately leapt onto my feet and took two long, fast strides towards her, not wanting to waste any time in granting my imprint her wish.

The combination of my approach and the sound of Renesmee's anticipation, alerted Rosalie to what was happening. Immediately, the blonde vampire stood up to face me. I stopped in my tracks, my eyes focused on my imprint, who had swiveled in Rosalie's arms so she could continue to reach for me. Rosalie's eyes were wide in shock as she stared speechless between me and Renesmee.

Finally, she asked Renesmee: "What's wrong beautiful girl?" Immediately, Renesmee reached up and touched Rosalie's neck. I had no idea what she was doing, but it must've had some purpose because Rosalie was looking at me, deeply confused, her eyes narrowed in worry. She then looked down at her niece questioningly.

"You want Jacob to hold you?" she asked in disbelief. Renesmee nodded fervently, and I was shocked to realize that she could already support her head. I walked as close as I dared to Rosalie, my arms out stretched. Rosalie stared at my arms and then at my face.

"What is going on?" she hissed at me through her teeth. But I didn't answer her- to say 'I've imprinted on Renesmee' sounded so insignificant compared to how I actually felt. But Rosalie didn't need me to say anything; she worked it out on her own. I felt her scrutinize my face. After a long pause, Rosalie looked down to find Renesmee still struggling to reach me from her arms.

"I can't believe this," Rosalie whispered as she gently passed Renesmee to me.

I smiled, tears welling in my eyes as I saw the most beautiful creature in the world, reach out to me as if she knew me and wanted to be close to me as much as I wanted to be near her. The way her little fingers grasped at thin air as she impatiently waited for me to take her from her aunt, made me feel so connected to her.

The moment I had Renesmee in my arms, I couldn't take my eyes off her- no words can describe how beautiful and special she felt to me. Even though Rosalie stood right next to me the entire time, a keen eye on Renesmee's face, I hardly noticed her.

I held Renesmee to my chest and closed my eyes. She was so warm, just like me. We were similar- it was hard for me to understand the 'old' me who felt repulsed and hurt being compared with Bella's 'monster' of a child. Now, I couldn't imagine a better compliment. Normally humans felt slightly cold against my skin, but she felt perfect. I smelt her skin, and reveled in how her little head pressed against my chest and I knew she could hear my heart beat.

I opened my eyes and was shocked to discover that I was crying; tears were slowly falling down my face. But I didn't care; that moment was one of the best of my life, tears and all. Rosalie looked at me, almost alarmed, but I was grateful she stayed silent. Above me I could hear movement, and I could sense from the tone in Alice's voice that Bella had survived the ordeal Renesmee had put her through. For the first time in my life, I understood why Bella fought for her little girl.

"Thank you Bells," I whispered, my voice choked up with emotion as I gently kissed the top of Renesmee's head.

I felt Rosalie stiffen beside me, evidently shocked by how emotional I was. Renesmee, on the other hand, reacted to my kiss by turning around so she could see my face properly. Her large eyes grew larger when she saw I was upset. I smiled at her to show her I was more than okay, but this wasn't good enough for her. Renesmee urgently reached up for my neck, her little legs struggling in my arms to touch my skin, whimpering a little with the effort it took. I automatically leant down over her so she could reach me more easily.

I gasped when I saw scenes in my head that I had never seen before, yet they were ones I understood. She had reflected what just happened back at me. She didn't say anything, but I could sense what she wanted to know: _Why you sad?_

I let myself laugh, and in doing so, I ended up chuckling for a long time. Rosalie remained completely still and surprisingly, so did Renesmee; I think she must've felt I was going crazy because even at her very young age, she knew that people didn't laugh when they were crying. If only she knew how happy I was- the tears were ones of relief, and the feeling that life was going to be okay after all.

I wanted to tell her how happy I felt seeing her, my imprint, reaching out to me, the beginning of a friendship and hopefully a love I will cherish for the rest of my life. But I also wanted to tell her that the tears were of gratitude as I imagined what I would have missed out on if Bella listened to me and allowed Carlisle to terminate her pregnancy. The possibility that could have happened to Renesmee made me sick. I told Edward when Bella was still pregnant that this was just the way things were destined to be; Edward and Bella were supposed to have a child. I never dreamed that I would gain anything from something I considered at the time to be deadly and irresponsible. Now a small part of me was angry at myself for ever considering Renesmee to be a monster. I watched Renesmee, my eyes full of emotion, my heart filled with adoration as I realised that losing Renesmee would have been the greatest loss of my life. Never before had I appreciated life as much as I did then- things were so different, and I was eternally grateful to Bella for being strong enough to support and nourish Renesmee until she was ready to come into the world.

But of course, I couldn't tell Renesmee any of this, though it wouldn't have surprised me if she understood most of it; her mental age far exceeded her physical one.

"I'm not sad," I reassured my imprint. "I'm _very_ happy," I corrected her, a huge grin on my face.

But this was not a good enough reason for Renesmee. Immediately she touched my neck again, and I felt a strong sense of confusion: _Why you crying?_

"Oh," I chuckled, quickly wiping away my tears of happiness "don't worry about that, Nessie," I insisted playfully. "I'm just really happy that after everything that has happened, I'm going to have a new, very special friend," I told her, tickling her tummy through the blanket that was wrapped around her.

Nessie's eyebrows narrowed in confusion, and then she reached up to touch me again.

Again she repeated back to me what I just said. It was weird seeing what I look like from her perspective. Now, however, her emphasis was on the word: "Nessie."

"Do you like it?" I asked her apprehensively; ready to continue calling her Renesmee if that's the name she preferred.

She nodded, her little face lit up. I gave her a huge grin.

"I'm glad; your full name is a little difficult to say," I laughed a little; I was so happy that everything was going so well.

Nessie then raised her right arm above her head, her pointer finger directed at my face. Then she slowly pressed her finger to my cheek and touched one of my tears. This simple action rendered me overwhelmed with emotion. I placed my hand on her tiny one, and held it to my face for a moment. I allowed myself to close my eyes for a second so I could fully appreciate the feel of her warm skin against my own. I then opened my eyes to see Renesmee watching me curiously. I let go of her hand, but she managed to hold it up there without my help.

I watched her face, captivated by every move she made and every expression she gave me as she stared into my eyes. Somehow I had the feeling she knew me as well as I knew her even though we had only just met.

When my tears eventually stopped falling, Nessie smiled more fully at me and squealed in delight when I tickled her under her chin.

Then unexpectedly, she slapped her hand to my neck again and suddenly I saw darkness.

"Woah!" I said, slightly alarmed, taking an unconscious step backwards. I heard Rosalie move beside me; I knew she was paying close attention to my reaction to whatever Nessie was showing me.

Once I recovered from the sudden darkness, I could hear muffled voices. Bella's was the easiest to recognize; she sounded cheerful and louder than any of the others. I heard a brief replay of Bella's voice from a conversation we had- one I remember very well and even more so now that I knew how the ordeal would end. The amount of love I sensed from Nessie as she remembered Bella say that I was a part of her family was huge. Clearly Renesmee agreed with Bella, and now I believed it too. But more than that, Nessie had a very powerful love for her mother, and I knew they would be very close.

I listened intently, no longer caring about the fact that I couldn't see, to the way Nessie perceived my reply. My muffled, bitter voice answered:

_I will never be part of your family, Bella._

I had a feeling that when Nessie first heard these words, she wasn't old enough to fully understand them. But now that she was older, she used the perfect vampire memory she inherited from Edward, to remember and understand her family, and recognize their voices. Unfortunately, the way Nessie remembered me was very different to the way I now felt.

There was a silent question that followed this statement, and I could tell Renesmee was uncertain if the voice she connected with me was really mine. It pained me to acknowledge that I had said those words, especially when I knew Renesmee would be hurt by them.

"Yes, that was me," I told her, my voice low; I felt terribly guilty.

Although Nessie didn't speak, I felt an overwhelming sense of objection come from her as if she was upset that I would say such a thing. This was soon replaced with a warm pull in my heart and I knew Nessie was trying to tell me that I was a part of her family.

It took everything I had not to start crying when I felt how sad she was that I did not want to be a part of her mother's family.

Thankfully, Nessie removed her hand from my neck so I could see her again. Now it was her face that was sad, her little mouth pouting in a very 'Bella-like' expression.

"Nessie," I whispered, feeling beyond terrible. "I was very angry at the time, I didn't know what I was saying," I told her as convincingly as I could even though, at the time, I knew exactly what I was saying and I believed it.

But before I could continue explaining my actions, my vision went black once more and I heard my muffled voice again:

_How about, 'Jacob, I get a kick out of your pain'._

I felt Nessie flinch in my arms- an echo of how her mother reacted to my words. I held Nessie tightly to me and rubbed her back to try to make her feel better. But I couldn't distract her, Nessie just became fidgety in my arms and patted my neck a couple of times, demanding my attention to how she felt about the memory. Still in darkness, I stopped rubbing her back and paid attention. She repeated what I said to Bella, and then took no time in forcing upon me a feeling that clearly meant: _Mommy never wanted to hurt you_.

My vision was returned to me, but Nessie's hand was still on my neck. She then showed me what she could see: my face watching hers; concerned and worried. A second later, Nessie stood up, her little feet on my arms as she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me. The feeling I felt come from her almost broke my heart: _Don't blame Mommy; I wanted you here._

I was grateful that Nessie didn't let go of my neck for a while, this gave me time to wipe away the tears that fell.

"Oh, Nessie," I whispered into her ear, trying to hide my sadness from her. "It's not your fault. I understand now; I know you and Mommy didn't mean to hurt me," I reassured her, rubbing her back again.

I felt Nessie's legs bend and knew she wanted to be cradled again. I held her in my arms like the baby she was, though already I could see she had grown and I'd only been with her for half an hour. But still, the little angel was not impressed by my answer, even though I was certain she understood what I said. I bent right over her so she could reach me without having to stand.

Again, darkness enveloped me. However, the voice I heard was not mine, but Edward's.

_Go, Jacob. Get away from here._

Nessie knew the voice was her father's rather than mine, but it was as if she was trying to work out the relationship I had with her parents, by remembering the moments that meant something big to her such as when she, Nessie knew her father was able to hear her thoughts.

But the question she now aimed at me, however silently was the hardest to answer: _Why weren't you happy to know my thoughts like Mommy and Daddy?_

I struggled with a response for a while, but Nessie waited patiently, eventually removing her hand from my face so I could stand up straight and look at her properly.

"I was just worried," I finally told her, "you are so special, and we didn't know what you were going to be like. But you were totally worth the wait," I ended cheerfully as I rocked her gently in my arms. Nessie smiled happily, all of her teeth were showing, pearly white and beautiful. Apparently, Nessie understood that I was scared and worried before, but not anymore.

I couldn't take my eyes off Renesmee's as she fell to sleep looking up at me, her eye lids slowly closing second by second. When she had dozed off, I still couldn't stop looking at her. I knew there were several things I needed to do, but they were not important enough to take me away from the beautiful child in my arms.

"You've imprinted on her?" Rosalie asked in a whisper, disbelief and disgust saturating her tone. Her voice made me jump, though thankfully I was able to keep Nessie steady in my arms so as not to wake her.

"Yeah," I confirmed, ignoring her disapproving tone, though not quite able to keep the shock out of my own voice. Imprinting was supposed to be rare, yet I was the fifth in my pack to do so. To imprint on somebody so special and unique was something I never dreamed possible for me, yet the happiness I now felt was beyond describable- everything felt right.

"You had no idea?" Rosalie questioned. I knew she doubted my ignorance, but it was wholeheartedly true.

"Nup, I was planning to kill her until I saw her face, thank god you lifted her up," I whispered gratefully, hoping Nessie couldn't hear me speak about her like she was disposable.

I could tell Rosalie reveled in the idea that I was grateful to her, but when she moved around to stand in front of me, I could tell that she was not happy that I had imprinted on Renesmee, the little girl she was hoping to take care of and spoil until her parents were ready.

"Now she has two people that will watch over her?" I suggested a little sheepishly, not wanting to start a fight if Rosalie didn't want me around.

Rosalie stared at Nessie for a while before replying.

"She seems to like you," Rosalie acknowledged reluctantly, though in a hollow voice as if she couldn't understand why.

I smiled, looking down on Nessie who was still sleeping soundly in my arms.

"Yeah she does."

"What was she showing you?" Rosalie asked quietly, though it was clear she was curious.

"Did she remember anything about you?" I returned the question, realizing that I hadn't thought to ask her.

"I asked you first," Rosalie countered, staring at me with dark eyes- god she needed to hunt.

"She remembered my voice and some of the things I said. I think she felt…" I paused, smiling, "that I didn't want her."

"You didn't," Rosalie pointed out immediately- as if I needed reminding.

"I can't believe I ever felt that way," I pondered out loud, more to myself than to her.

"Well things are _evidently_ different now with you and her," Rosalie said sarcastically, watching Nessie.

I nodded, ignoring her again; I didn't want to start a fight. "What did she remember about you?"

"What else? That I was always around Bella, looking after her, and making sure she had enough blood-" Rosalie halted in mid sentence; her eyes became unfocused.

"I think you better hunt," I told Rosalie warningly, holding Nessie away from her slightly.

Rosalie shook her head vigorously. "I need to wait until Carlisle and Esme return."

Even so, I held Nessie to the left of me so she was as far away from Rosalie as possible.

"As I was saying," Rosalie continued. "She was thanking me for looking after Bella; she knows I wanted her right from the beginning." Rosalie was glaring at me as if trying to show-off how right she was for supporting Bella when the rest of us, including me, opposed her choice.

"Thank you for being there for Bella," I muttered, not quite ready to admit that she was right and that I was in her and Bella's debt for the rest of my life for giving me such a wonderful gift.

"And…" Rosalie encouraged, a smirk appearing on her face.

I sighed. "And for helping Bella look after Nessie before she was born," I said sincerely, though I was a little irritated by the way Rosalie was handling my praise. Sure enough, she gave a broad smile that reminded me of Alice. I told Rosalie as much.

"Well, I'm happy," she said defensively as if being compared to her sister was an insult.

"Ha! So am I," and for the first time since the night Rosalie came to apologise for her behaviour when I was still at the Cullens after being bitten by Victoria, I felt Rosalie and I were on civil terms again.

"What are you going to do?" Rosalie asked, looking at me now as if she too sensed the complications that could arise from my very strong attachment to Renesmee. "The only reason why I am not causing a scene is because I hope Edward will," she laughed in anticipation of something amusing occurring. "Edward will go ballistic when he finds out."

I cringed; I feared he might, but was hoping Rosalie would convince me otherwise. Who was I kidding? This was Rosalie after all!

"I wouldn't be surprised if he already knew," I admitted, my attention momentarily focused upstairs. "I'm sure he can hear my thoughts from there."

"Probably," Rosalie allowed, not at all concerned. "And if he has, I will be more than happy to hold Renesmee while you battle it out with him," she added with an evil grin.

"I think Renesmee will be safer with me battling Edward, than with you if you don't drink something soon," I teased her, though of course I was very serious; her eyes were dangerously black.

Rosalie hissed at me, but I knew she wouldn't attack me- not with Renesmee in my arms.

When she composed herself, she told me that she does not find Renesmee's blood as inviting as a human's.

"But still inviting," I pressed on her; I wanted to remind her that Nessie's blood was still drinkable, as was mine. The mere fact that I was discussing the drinkability of my imprint's blood was disturbing, yet I was easily able to discuss it- Nessie's safety came first, my disgust could come later.

Nessie slept for the rest of the night. Rosalie constantly stayed at my side. She made a few attempts to take Nessie off me, but never succeeded because she didn't want to wake her niece. I had had a big day, and felt a little tired, but whenever my eyes began to droop, I would see the little girl in my arms and immediately feel alive again. It was as if she were my energy source. I will admit that it was also deeply satisfying to be able to stay up all night, which meant that Rosalie never had the opportunity to hold Nessie, even though I could tell she was dying to do so. After we ran out of small talk, I could tell Rosalie began to feel bored. Not me though; I just watched Renesmee's face as she dreamed. I wished Edward was around just so I knew what she was dreaming about; she looked so peaceful and happy.

I'd hoped that maybe Rosalie would eventually realize I wasn't going to give in and decide to occupy her time elsewhere, like with her husband. But no; she continued to hover around me in an aggravating way. Luckily for her, it wasn't long before I was forced to place Renesmee in her arms, for safety purposes.

It all started when I told Rosalie to stop pestering me; I wasn't going anywhere- and to do something useful instead, like hunt. She refused, but did take the opportunity to quickly search the house for Emmett, who I thought was in their bedroom upstairs with Jasper. I watched as she ran up stairs, giving me a moment's peace with my still sleeping Nessie. Much to my chagrin, she returned no more than two minutes later with a smug look on her face.

"What?" I asked her, knowing that something must have happened upstairs that I was not aware of.

"Nothing," she teased me, rising the 'ing' in tone to suggest that something was about to happen.

"You suck at lying," I pointed out to her, a little aggravated that she knew something I didn't.

"I am not trying to lie- if I were there would be no way for you to know any different," she told me seriously- bloody vampires and their ability to convince humans of anything. "So you're just trying to piss me off?" I barked quietly at her through my teeth, making sure Nessie stayed fast asleep.

"Pretty much," Rosalie replied indifferently, her attention now focused on a conversation that was happening upstairs. I watched her, trying to gauge her reaction. Eventually she smirked, and then turned to look at me, her arms held out.

"I suggest you give Renesmee to me," she said politely, but underneath her sweet tone was a threat as if to say I would regret it if I didn't obey. Hesitantly, I leaned towards the blonde vampire, allowing her to remove my imprint from my arms. I watched Nessie apprehensively hoping she wouldn't wake up. Thankfully she stayed fast asleep- only shifting position slightly when her aunt nestled her in her arms.

Before I had the opportunity to pester Rosalie for more information about what was happening, I heard a set of footsteps come down the stairs.

_Edward._

_Shit._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edward's POV

Ever since I injected my venom into Bella's broken body, I had spent every moment in agonizing paranoia and fear that I had done something wrong, or that I had not done enough to ensure Bella's 'survival' after giving birth to our daughter. My wife was so still, it was hard to believe that her heart was beating so rapidly. Yet despite her racing pulse, I still could not be confident of my success- I needed more reassurance than a beating heart to know Bella would make a successful transition into vampire life. But Carlisle and Esme had yet to return from picking up supplies, and I was becoming desolate. Alice was able to see Bella clearly now, but still couldn't pin-point exactly when she would wake up. I could think of nothing else except Bella and what she was feeling in that moment. I felt she must be in extreme pain, but there was no way to tell. I knew that the vampire transition lasts roughly three days, so my anxiety was not likely to be completely alleviated until Bella woke up some agonizing 48 hours away. My mind was so preoccupied by the trauma that was my daughter's arrival into the world that I had hardly given much thought to Renesmee. I knew she was being well looked after, and at the moment, that's all that mattered to me; I would have plenty of time to be with her later. I saw Renesmee through Jasper, Alice and Emmett's eyes and knew that she was healthy, strong, fast growing and had a mental capacity that far exceeded her physical age.

I was resting my head in my hands, trying to push out of my mind various moments from the night before, such as when Bella's heart stopped beating, Jacob telling me that she was a dead corpse, the copious amounts of blood, the breaking of her spine, and Rosalie's pitch black eyes and bared teeth as she went to attack my dying wife.

"Edward," Alice interrupted my thoughts, making me a start. She gave me a small smile and knelt in front of me. "You need a break," she told me.

"I am fine, Alice," I insisted, and then knowing what she was about to suggest, I answered her unspoken request: "I am staying here with Bella."

Alice put her hands on her waist and tilted her head to the right, her lips pursed.

"Bella will be fine," she promised me for the one hundredth and thirty ninth time that day, as she gently reached out to rub my shoulder.

"You don't know that," I reminded her. "You can't see her as a vampire yet."

"Not yet, but I will," she told me with confidence. "You worry too much."

"She's my life," I hissed at my sister- of course I am worried, where would I be if Bella did not survive?

"I know, Edward, I love her too, but sitting here is not going to make her complete the transition any faster. I know my word is not as good as Carlisle's but you have done everything right."

I shook my head. "I am not going anywhere until Carlisle arrives home," I informed her firmly, hoping that she would leave me in peace.

"Not even to see your daughter?" Alice questioned me, and I could see in her mind that Renesmee had my hair colour, and Bella's chocolate brown eyes.

"I can see her through your mind," I said dismissively.

Do not get me wrong, I loved my daughter and looked forward to knowing her better, but my concern that she would not see me for a few days did not outweigh my worry for her mother.

"Come on," Emmett encouraged playfully, entering the room and clapping me on the back. "Seeing her through our minds doesn't do her justice. You must visit her; she's your daughter."

"I am sure she would like to meet you properly," Jasper contributed.

"I will have plenty of opportunities," I reminded my siblings, getting fed up with them trying to drag me away from Bella.  
>"We're not trying to distract you," Jasper said gently, apparently picking up on my annoyance. "But given it will be a while before Bella wakes, perhaps you should visit Renesmee? I am certain Bella would be horrified if you hadn't at least spoken to her."<p>

He was probably right, and to support this, Alice was nodding frantically in response to Jasper's remark.

At that moment, Rosalie walked past the door. She didn't say anything, but I knew she had overheard because she said:

_I would speak to the wolf if I were you._

I knew she was mainly saying this to force Jacob into a position where he would need to give Renesmee to Rosalie, but regardless, a talk with Jacob was definitely in order. Thankfully I had been too preoccupied with Bella's condition to fully focus on how Jacob felt about my daughter, otherwise I would have confronted him far sooner than this. In the end, I decided to give in to my family's wishes, one: so they would stop directing their thoughts at me, and two: so Alice would stop tugging my arm towards the door.

"Fine," I said calmly, snatching my arm out of her grasp, standing up and walking to the door, "I trust all of you to monitor Bella while I am downstairs. If there are _any _changes, tell me immediately," I made them promise.

"Of course," Alice said cheerfully, excited that I was finally going to meet Renesmee. I knew all of them would be listening intently from upstairs.

"Bella is completely safe in our hands," Jasper reassured me as he began to monitor any changes in Bella's mood which were at that time rigid and minimal.

The moment I mounted the top of the stairs, I forced myself to think about my daughter. I could smell her scent, and suddenly I was preoccupied by the dream she was having- it was full of colours and singing voices. I appeared quickly at Rosalie's side. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Jacob, but decided to hold my daughter first; I would deal with him later. My sister was expecting me and did not hesitate to put Renesmee in my arms before I had even requested it.

I stared into my daughter's face. Emmett was right; seeing Renesmee through my family's eyes did not do her justice at all. Her scent was the exact combination of mine and Bella's, her skin was beautifully coloured and she was simply perfect. I kissed the top of her head, as I watched different shades of purples, blues and reds dance in her mind on a black background. She did not seem to connect any meaning to them, only that they were pretty. But those colours immediately disappeared once I had put my lips to her skin- I had woken her.

But unlike normal children, she didn't cry upon being woken. Instead, she opened her eyes and looked up into my face. I smiled at her and said:

"I did not mean to wake you my beautiful girl," I sang to her. "You have your mother's eyes," I said lovingly, kissing her eyelashes gently.

In reply, Renesmee pointed at my head, her thought was clear: _Same as mine._

"Well done, Renesmee," I praised my daughter. "We have the same hair colour."

My little girl nodded at me proudly, her eyes shining beautifully in the sunlight as she watched me. Her mind was amazing to listen to; her thoughts were far quicker and more alert than a human's even though she was only a day old. Even more astonishing was she already knew that, unlike the other members of my family, she did not need to touch my face to communicate with me. It amazed me just how much she understood whilst still in Bella's womb.

_Where is _Renesmee's thought began, and then she showed me an image of a very pale, sick and horrifying Bella, the only memory Renesmee had of her mother. I froze momentarily at the image of seeing Bella from her perspective- although my memory was perfect (as was hers from what I could gather), so I remembered how Bella appeared, it hurt me to think that Renesmee will also remember it for the rest of her life.

I smiled sadly at Renesmee and told her gently: "Mommy is resting, darling. But I hope you will be able to meet her properly in a couple of days."

My daughter's lips pouted in a very Bella-like fashion, clearly unhappy that she would have to wait before meeting Bella. I was delighted to see she had already formed a very strong attachment to Bella.

"I am sorry, Renesmee, but I promise you will see her as soon as possible," I tried to reassure her. An acceptance came over her mind as my daughter leant against me and wrapped her little hands tightly around my wrist, which was near her face because I was stroking her head.

_Happy you've come to see me._

I chuckled, hardly believing that I felt this experience was matched by seeing my daughter through other people's eyes- there was no comparison.

"You are so special," whispered in her ear, as Renesmee nestled against my chest, my finger now tightly wrapped in her palm.

I had known for some time that Jacob was standing to one side in the room- apparently wanting to be invisible, even though he knew that was impossible when it came to me. I was happy to keep him waiting anxiously and I felt some delight in knowing he was watching my interaction with Renesmee. However, when I mentioned to my daughter that she will see Bella as soon as possible, I heard a very clear objection from Jacob's mind.

_Not until Bella is ready, _and by ready, he meant: 'until Bella is as controlled as Jasper'. This indicated to me exactly what I would be dealing with a very protective, stubborn, and persistent Jacob when it came to Renesmee. These were issues I did not want to have to consider- another complication to add to an already complex situation. I would need to speak with him.

Renesmee had begun reminding me of our interactions together: the first time she saw my face when she was only seconds old, to the first time I heard her thoughts which she associated with the first time I loved her. I was thankful that I kept my true feelings about her away from Bella, which meant that she never heard my thoughts; otherwise I would have to deal with a lifetime of guilt- my daughter always remembering that I didn't want her to begin with. I could have stayed with Renesmee for the rest of the day watching her thoughts and looking into her perfect face. She reminded me so much of Bella that seeing her gave me the hope I needed that Bella would make it through- that I had done the right thing; there was no way Bella could miss out on meeting our amazing daughter. Eventually, I reluctantly handed Renesmee back to Rosalie. My daughter frowned at me as I did so, but I knew she could see how much I wanted to stay with her.

"I am sorry, Darling. When your mommy is better, I promise to watch all of the memories you have of me. They are very special," I sang to her, touching the tip of her nose with my finger.

_I wait. _She told me with such certainty, that I could tell she would make me keep my promise, which of course I had no intention of breaking.

"Thank you for understanding, Renesmee," I said, kissing the top of her head. "I just need to talk to Jacob, and then I will go back upstairs to stay with Mommy until she wakes up," I explained to Renesmee, so she knew I was leaving her for important reasons. "But I will be with you whenever I can," I found myself promising her, even though minutes ago I did not feel the need to be with her, she was now so much a part of me- I was in love with her the moment I saw her.

She nodded her understanding and then turned to her right towards Jacob. I followed her gaze to find Jacob watching me apprehensively, his eyes torn between looking at me and Renesmee.

"Would it be okay with you if we speak upstairs?" I asked him courteously to keep up appearances for Renesmee.

He nodded, not daring to say a word in case his imprint sensed his fear.

As we were walking upstairs, I turned to see Renesmee waving at us. I waved back at her, feeling guilty for leaving her and for asking Jacob to do the same; she would miss both of us.

I led Jacob into my bedroom which was opposite Carlisle's office and closed the door behind us. It was the furthest room from the stairs, so it was less likely that we could be overheard by Renesmee, who I knew was curious as to why her father and friend were talking privately.

The moment I closed the door, Jacob felt trapped. He paced the room, his mind focusing on everything he wanted to say to me, what he would say if I tried to take Renesmee away from him or keep him away from her. He devised speech after speech, and then, realizing they weren't good enough, would push them aside and think of a new approach. After five minutes of planning, Jacob looked suddenly in my direction. When he saw my face, which appeared serious and unamused to him, Jacob pleaded:

"Say something."

I continued to watch him, wondering how to begin. The truth was that I was not at all happy with the fact that he had imprinted on my daughter, but knowing better than anyone who has not imprinted, I understood that Jacob's feelings were genuine and permanent; they would not disappear even if he wanted them too, which of course he was far from doing.

Finally, Jacob stopped pacing- his mind was determined to get me talking; the suspense was killing him and he wanted to be with Renesmee.

"Just get it over with- you _know_," he asserted, hoping that the worst would soon be over.

I watched him, amused; he treated his imprinting on my daughter as if it were a crime, which I suppose it was in my eyes, but certainly not in his.

"Yes, I know," I finally spoke, making evident my displeasure.

At this, Jacob's expression completely changed into one of fear, and his thoughts also became panicked.

"I- I had no control over this. I had no idea this would happen. I never would have dreamed in a million years that I would ever imprint, let alone on your child. I know you probably don't want me around, but I can't leave her. You- you can try to take her away from me," Jacob cringed at the idea, his heart sinking as he thought of how difficult it would be should I decide to make life torturous for him, "but you know I would follow her, wherever you take her. She is a part of me now; she is my world. My life is in your hands- I have to trust you with my life _again_. Please- please don't punish me for this," Jacob begged of me, emotional tears in his eyes. He was standing within arms reach of me now.

"Your relationship with Renesmee is far more complicated than simply moving away, or having my family form a boundary around our home," I told him seriously.

As I expected, my words panicked Jacob still further.

"It wouldn't matter if you moved across the world or hired multiple vampires to prevent me from entering this house; I will see her!" Jacob shouted. It took an immense amount of focus to push Jacob's thoughts to the side in order to hear what was happening downstairs.

_Jacob not happy, _Renesmee thought to herself as she struggled in Rosalie's arms, trying to communicate this to her aunt, the person who was able to help her find out why.

"Did you hear me?" Jacob yelled, his body shaking slightly, annoyed that I had apparently ignored him.

"Shh," I hissed at him, the majority of my attention was focused downstairs.

Jacob stopped immediately and guessed correctly that I was listening to Renesmee's thoughts.

_She wants to come upstairs, _Rosalie informed me unnecessarily for I could see how strong this desire was in my daughter's mind. However, I did not want Renesmee nearer to Bella than she had to be.

"No, we will come down," I told Rosalie, then turned towards Jacob who looked confused, his body trembling slightly.

"What's happening?" he demanded, his focus immediately going to Renesmee. "Is Nessie in trouble?" I decided to ignore Jacob's nickname for my daughter, in favour of explaining myself as I ushered him out of my room and towards the staircase.

"She is fine. Renesmee wants to know what we are doing; she heard you yelling," I informed Jacob as I followed him down the stairs. Jacob halted on the staircase. He spun around, upset that Renesmee had heard him yelling at me about her.

_You better come up with a good explanation, _he threatened me. But the moment we reached the bottom of the stairs, to find Rosalie and Renesmee waiting for us, the latter's eyes wide as she stared between myself and Jacob, Jacob almost collapsed with guilt; it was evident that Renesmee was worried, and he did not mean to upset her.

Renesmee reached out to Jacob, who gently lifted her from Rosalie's arms. Renesmee smacked her hand against Jacob's neck, not that it phased him, and replayed what she heard from moments ago. Thankfully she could not hear exactly what Jacob had said, but she knew his tone was that of anger. She wanted to know why Jacob was angry.

Jacob held Renesmee out in front of her, so they could see eye to eye.

"I'm a little angry, but it's okay. I promise I will sort it out," Jacob reassured her, his arms shaking slightly as he held her. _No matter what it takes, _he comforted himself, trying his best not to let his emotions show; it would only make Renesmee worry even more.

His trembling remained unnoticed by Renesmee, but her aunt looked at me, concerned.

_Should I take Renesmee from him? _She asked me, not certain why exactly Jacob was shaking.

I shook my head at her; it would not be a good idea to take her away so quickly.

"Renesmee," I spoke to my daughter as she watched me from Jacob's still unsteady hands. "Jacob and I were having a discussion. Sometimes people can get mad when they do not agree with the other person."

Renesmee then reached up to touch Jacob's neck again. She tried to ask Jacob whether he dislikes me because I made him yell. However, Renesmee had difficulty portraying her question to Jacob.

"I was yelling at your daddy, yes," Jacob answered hesitantly, not sure if he was answering her question. He received that message pretty quickly when Renesmee patted his neck impatiently and tried to convey her question another way. I decided to assist her.

"Renesmee wants to know if you dislike me because I made you angry," I translated, speaking in a neutral tone, which is what I normally do when repeating someone's thoughts out loud.

Jacob didn't quite know how to answer her. No, he didn't dislike me; his feelings for Renesmee prevented him from disliking me, for her sake. Of course, this was difficult to explain, even for someone as mentally advanced as Renesmee. Instead, Jacob hugged Renesmee to him and whispered in her ear: "Your daddy and I don't agree on some things, but that doesn't mean we don't like each other."

Rosalie stared at me, visibly shocked at the lengths Jacob was going to protect Renesmee from hurt, but also protecting my reputation in my daughter's eyes. It was clear to Rosalie that at that moment, Jacob would like nothing better than to hate me for perceiving his relationship with Renesmee to be a hindrance, rather than what it should be: a gift.

Renesmee peeked over Jacob's shoulder and staring into my eyes asked:

_Finished?_

I gave her a little smile. "We are almost finished."

_This will never be over! _Jacob informed me- despite having Renesmee in his arms, this was not enough to calm him; in fact, it only reminded him of the relationship he was fighting for which made him want to fight harder than before. I suppressed a sigh as I reached out to run a finger through my daughter's bronze ringlets.

"Would it be alright if you stay with Aunt Rosalie while Jacob and I finish talking?"

She nodded and although she was a little worried about Jacob, she felt a little better seeing my reassuring face and Jacob's indirect way of saying that he didn't dislike me.

"Thank you," I said, kissing her forehead, before she turned around and reached out to Rosalie. Jacob had no choice but to let her go.

"See you soon, Nessie." Jacob tried to sound cheerful as he said goodbye, but before Renesmee could pick up on his sadness, Jacob was already halfway up the stairs, eager to keep his painful emotions away from his imprint.

On the way to my bedroom, Alice met me at the door to Carlisle's office- the door had been closed to reduce the chance of Renesmee or Jacob's scents from entering should Bella wake up before we expected. Alice was annoyed with me, though forced herself not to say anything out loud incase Jacob overheard.

_You aren't honestly going to keep him away from Renesmee are you? _She demanded. It amused me that she was standing up for Jacob.

I smiled at her, and shook my head.

Alice humphed and crossed her arms, but it wasn't her thoughts, but Jasper's that responded.

_Please do not let this continue for too much longer, Edward, _he requested and I could see that Jacob's distress was bothering him.

"Sorry, Jasper," I apologized to my brother as I continued towards my bedroom. When I entered and closed the door behind me, I found Jacob pacing again, except now he was wondering not what to say, but how he was going to afford to travel half way across the world should I decide to move my family overseas.

I decided to continue our conversation from where we were last.

"As I was saying-"

"How can you do this to her?" Jacob demanded, keeping his voice low, but the force of air being pushed through his teeth made it evident that he was furious. "What kind of father would-"

"Stop," I ordered of Jacob, taking a step closer to him now. Having seen the end of his thought, I wanted to stop him from continuing before I was the one yelling.

_I will not allow you to hurt her! _He screamed at me, his thoughts piercing my mind.

I tried to keep my reply calm and even, but I had difficulty.

"I have no intention of hurting my daughter," I growled at him.

Jacob found this statement preposterous. His breathing hitched as he wondered how I could lack so much insight into the consequences of my actions.

_You will hurt Renesmee if you don't let me see her!_ Jacob eventually managed to say after struggling to form a clear message. I stared into his face, and saw his eyes sparkling with tears. He didn't care if they fell.

"Jacob," I said more gently now, as I reached over to place a hand on his shoulder. He monitored my approach and when he was certain I was trying to comfort him, Jacob pushed my hand away, an angry sob escaping his lips.

I feared I had pushed him too far; my action only confirmed his fear that I was truly asking him to leave, which of course, was not my intention; I simply wanted to release some of my displeasure.

Jacob was staring at me now, his confusion evident on his face.

_Just stop messing around with me and get to the point, _Jacob demanded. The poor boy felt he couldn't handle the suspense any longer.

"This is a complicated situation," I told him seriously, trying to emphasise to him that this is my point and the reason why I had not previously been clear in my speech, though of course, that was intentional.

_Won't be so complicated if you move away will it?_ He fired back at me, his breathing quick and heavy, his fists clenched at his sides even though he was feeling more fear than anger. Nevertheless, his body started quivering again. Yes, I had pushed him further than I planned.

"Jacob, calm down- please listen to me."

"Why should I?" Jacob ejaculated forcefully through his teeth, Renesmee's feelings being the only thing that was preventing him from screaming at the top of his lungs. "You know better than anyone that this isn't my fault- why are you punishing me for this?" he almost begged of me. It was only then that I realised that even though Jacob feared what my reaction would be, he never thought I would be so cruel as to tear him away from my daughter, no matter how angry I was.

"I do not mean to punish you," I told him truthfully. "But I know I have. Perhaps it would have been simpler to tell you what I want you to know…" I paused to see how Jacob would react to my words, but he was silent except for his loud breathing as he tried to control his frustration.

"I am not happy about this, and I believe Bella will feel similarly- though I suppose I could be wrong." Jacob was latching on to my every word as I continued. "As you said, I know better than any individual who is not a wolf themselves, what it means to imprint on someone. I understand that this was out of your control, and I have always known that it would be foolish to stop you from seeing Renesmee."

Jacob stared at me for a full minute before he breathed again.

_Everything I said before… there was no point in me saying it! You never intended on taking her away from me! _Jacob accused me; he believed I wanted to make him vulnerable- make him suffer.

I decided to ignore the suffering, because as harsh as it sounds, I wanted him to suffer… just a little. The disappointment I first felt was paramount; we would have to consider him in everything we did- Renesmee wasn't just tied to me and Bella, she was now a part of Jacob too- he needed her as much as we did.

"No, I am glad you told me," I corrected Jacob. "Although I knew how you would feel, it was important for me to hear you speak of the connection I know you have with her. Having said this, there has to be some boundaries put into place."

Jacob looked at me cautiously. He was willing to agree to anything as long as he was permitted to visit my family's home, but at the same time, he wanted to know what he was getting himself in to first.

"Firstly, you need to share Renesmee with Rosalie." I was expecting Jacob to object, but he remained silent; he wanted to hear all of my conditions before answering me. "When I say share, that includes holding and feeding times, even when Renesmee is sleeping. When one of you is holding her, the other gets to feed. I expect you to be fair. Rosalie can hear me, so she knows my conditions too," I added, to which Jacob gave a satisfied nod.

"Secondly, until Bella has woken, my own wishes, and Carlisle's, when he returns, will come first. This means that when I or my father says you do something with regard to Renesmee, you do it without hesitation. When Bella is able to withstand Renesmee's scent, she will also be obeyed by you even if you disagree. If you wish to try something new with Renesmee, perhaps a game or food, you must tell a member of my family where you are and what you plan to do. And finally, I hardly feel it needs to be said, but just for the sake of completion, whenever you are with Renesmee, we must know where you are at all times." I felt like a father telling my daughter's first date the rules and in a way, I suppose I was. I disliked the idea that my daughter was a day old and I was already having this conversation.

"I will do my best to obey by the rules," Jacob said liberally, hoping to show me how much he wanted to make this arrangement work with my family. "But I was hoping to make a request."

I searched his mind. He presented to me his plan: an image of himself standing in front of a red-eyed Bella.

"I heard you telling Renesmee that Bella will see her as soon as possible. From what I know about new vampires, which is quite a bit given what happened last year," he added, "their thirst for blood is strong. I do not want Bella to meet Renesmee until she is definitely ready."

"There is no way of measuring her readiness, Jacob," I explained patiently. "We do not know what Bella will be like as a vampire; her situation is unusual compared to most other newborns. Nevertheless, I promise to monitor her closely- Jasper has already agreed to do so seeing as he will be the most able to pre-empt any attempts she may make to attack-"

"Don't say it," Jacob interrupted rapidly, not able to conceive the idea that Renesmee's life will be in danger simply for having Bella as her mother- how the tables have turned.

"We will be highly vigilant," I promised him.

"That's not enough. I do not want Nessie to be Bella's first test." Then Jacob clearly outlined his plan to me. "When Bella feels ready, I want to be her first test," he told me with confidence- fear for his own life hardly measured up to the thought of losing his imprint. "If Bella can stand right next to me and not attack," Jacob continued, feeling quite confident that Bella would not succeed her first time round, but nevertheless was willing to risk his life, "then she can see Renesmee," Jacob bargained with me.

"I feel your request is a reasonable one," I admitted, "however, I do not like keeping our daughter away from Bella any longer than necessary. If she passes your test, there is to be no further objection to her seeing Renesmee." Jacob nodded, though the idea still made him sick. Although Bella was still his best friend, the vampire Bella was a far more dangerous one- one that he knew so little about, one he couldn't trust just yet.

"One last thing," Jacob began, a sense of purpose in his voice and I could see in his mind not only his request, but his understanding that what he wished to ask would be hardest for me to agree to. "Please do not tell Bella what has happened. I promise to tell her after she is able to cope with my scent, but before she sees Renesmee, so if she attacks me we'll know it was because of her thirst and not because I have imprinted on her daughter."

I chuckled to myself. I had the feeling that an attack in both situations was equally likely; Bella was far closer and more connected to Renesmee than I was.

"You know I do not like keeping secrets from Bella- it will be hard enough as it is-"

"I know, but I know what I want to say to her."

Jacob then briefly outlined what he would say. I listened to his thoughts with interest, and begrudgingly found his argument to be a strong one; it was clear now that it was Renesmee, not Bella who was so pleased to see Jacob throughout the pregnancy.

"If you wish," I allowed. Jacob exhaled, relieved that I was being so flexible, and rather proud of himself that he had worked out ways of protecting Renesmee as best he could.

"Thanks," Jacob breathed with relief as he headed towards the door.

"I am not quite finished," I asserted, moving in front of Jacob so he was forced to stop proceeding.

Jacob looked into my face somewhat hesitantly, unsure whether he wanted to know what else I wished to say.

"We do not need Alice to tell us that we will have many more discussions in the future about Renesmee," I told him. Both of us heard Alice giggling from Carlisle's study. Jacob shook his head and rolled his eyes in her general direction, then turned back to me.

_I'll bet._

"When they arise, we will do our best to deal with them in a fair way. I want you to know, Jacob, that no matter what I say or how angry I may become, I will _never_ take Renesmee away from you. She is a part of you and you are not complete without her in your life, and I imagine that one day, she will feel that way about you. I will not deprive my daughter of the possibility of such happiness."

Jacob's jaw dropped slightly as he stared at me.

"While I will admit that kicking you out of the picture will likely be tempting at times, I know that by doing so, I would destroy _both_ of you. Renesmee has already developed a strong bond with you- I will not be the one responsible for breaking it. It is for these reasons that your life will always be safe with me."

My reference back to Jacob's assertion that Renesmee was his life made this entire situation very real to him. While he had always known the reality himself, to hear someone acknowledge that he cannot live without Renesmee, allowed him to feel that people were accepting his feelings and his reality. He then thought of his family- his pack, and wondered with apprehension what they would think. Now that my family had been informed, which he thought would be hard enough he now had to face his father.

"When do you plan on informing your family?" I asked him seriously, as I began predicting the potentially dangerous consequences Jacob's imprinting could have on my family.

Jacob sensed the tension in my voice and endeavored to ease my fears immediately.

"I will need to speak with them soon, because my imprinting on Nessie changes everything-"  
>"On what level?" I asked him, wanting specifics.<p>

"Although I am no longer connected to Sam's pack, for moral reasons, the pack is not allowed to harm the object of another's imprinting. It is our absolute law; to kill a fellow brother's imprint would cause the entire pack unspeakable pain due to the connection we share. Out of respect for me and to prevent eternal hurt and guilt, I know Sam and the others will not harm Renesmee."

"I must say I am relieved."

Jacob smiled, feeling rather proud that his imprinting creates the sole protection Renesmee needs from his pack.

"Me too… Seth and Leah are probably wondering where I am," Jacob said, more to himself than to me, feeling guilty for leaving them to monitor the boundaries on their own for so long. "I will speak with them quickly, and then run to La Push. I will be back tomorrow morning at the latest," he informed me, not wanting to be away from Renesmee any longer than he needed to be.

I nodded. "I hope Carlisle and Esme will arrive home tomorrow too; Bella will be awake within the next couple of days."

"I'll be quick," Jacob promised me.

_I have no doubt of that, _I said to myself- already Jacob was envisaging the pain he would feel being away from Renesmee for an hour, let alone a whole day.

"Good luck, Jacob," I said. "I hope they do not give you a difficult time," I muttered gently.

Jacob chuckled. "Yeah, me too."

After giving a quick explanation to Renesmee outlining where he was going, and giving her a hug goodbye, Jacob ran out the door and into the forest. I heard Leah and Seth growl in greeting when they felt the presence of their leader. I forced myself to focus on the minds of my siblings and my daughter, who was bouncing up and down on Rosalie's lap, her way of trying to cheer Renesmee up after she shed a few tears when saying goodbye to Jacob, to give the wolves some privacy.

Now that my talk with Jacob was over, I entered Carlisle's office to find my Bella lying as a still a statue on the bed, my siblings turning to look at me as I approached them. Jacob and Renesmee were wonderful distractions from my main concern. It had been so easy to say: 'When Bella wakes up', but whenever I watched her, the doubt, the pain, the fear that she would never come back to me would flood my mind again. I resumed my position next to Bella's bed, and lightly touched her hand.

_I wish you were here, Love._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note: So I hope you all loved the chapter! What did you think of my version? I always wondered whether Edward and Jacob ever had a talk about it- obviously as we were reading from Bella's perspective, we never got to see. I also wanted to know what Rosalie would have said when she found out. So I hope this chapter has given you one plausible way it could have happened! So please, please review and let me know what you think! I always love hearing from you guys.

The next chapter is part two of this one. It is one of the longest in my story (about 6 A4 pages longer than this one) and I will post it up on Saturday. I hope you enjoy it because part 2 is tied first my favourite chapter with 'Dead man walking' :) Until then, stay safe and happy reading!

Please remember to review! ;)


	22. Chapter 21 My Imprint Part II

Author's note: Hi everyone :) So this is the longest chapter yet and is one of the longest in this fic. This is my other favourite chapter because I get to express my views about something (not telling you what, though you can probably guess!) through Jacob. Also one of the questions most of you had towards the beginning of this story will finally be answered :)

I also want to preface this chapter by saying that this segment mainly looks at the reaction from both packs to Jacob's imprinting on Ness, and the consequences of these reactions. However, some of the reactions, especially Sam's is probably not what you would expect given 'Trust me' and even given canon. However, by the end of the chapter, I hope you can see why I wrote things slightly differently. A hint: if you love emotional intensity, you will not be disappointed :P

But if you don't, or you think it should have happened in a different way, then I'm really sorry :( Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter because I loved writing it!

Happy reading! And please remember to review when you're done!

Response to reviews:  
>Nicky1992: Thanks heaps for your review. I'm not sure if you received the PM I sent you, but unfortunately I am not going to be re-writing the fight, purely because the canon fight occurs in the exact same way in my story. I'm sorry to disappoint you :( But I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway!<p>

samantha kiely: I briefly described above what is happening in this chapter. Essentially, Bella's waking up and her reaction are the same as they were in canon, so I won't be re-writing those parts. But those parts _do _happen in my story if that makes sense? Hmm having read the rest of your review, I am wondering, have you read Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer? If you haven't then I'm really sorry because you won't get to read the fit that Bella _does _have when she finds out about the imprinting and about the nickname! Lol. So that 'fit' doesn't appear in my story, but it does occur in Breaking Dawn if you want to check it out :) Yeah if only I could publish it! That would be amazing. And if I did, I would most definitely sign it for you! I am glad you loved the fact that Ness can talk to Jake using her gift, I really wanted her to be able to do that in my story. Thanks for your review!

Eruhin: I've already replied to your review :) As always, thank you for being so consistent in leaving one for me, it means a lot! I hope you enjoy this chapter! And that it ends up being one of your favourites too!

Trust me

Chapter 21- My imprint part 2

Jacob's POV

The moment I phased, Seth and Leah's thoughts forced their way into my mind.

"Going to tell your dad?" Seth checked with me to make sure he understood my intentions.

"Yep, and Sam and the others too, so they know not to attack Nessie."

"Nessie," Leah spat at the nickname, disgusted that I had already gone so far as to have a special name for her.

"Don't start Leah," I warned her, as all three of us ran towards La Push.

"Yeah, don't be such a spoil sport. Jake's finally happy. I think it's awesome," Seth stood up for me, and I couldn't help but be grateful that at least someone was supportive of me.

"Thanks Seth, that means a lot."

Leah sighed loudly in her mind, fed up with her brother always siding with vampires over her.

"I can't wait to see her properly… we've been keeping our distance for now- don't want to make things more complicated for you," Seth informed me; I had wondered why I hadn't heard much from them since Nessie was born.

"That's probably a good idea," I agreed with him.

"I can't believe you imprinted on her- it's such a cliché," Leah blurted out, frustrated that she now seemed to be the only one who hated what Bella did to me. "You couldn't have Bella so you go for her daughter."

I growled through my teeth at her, turning my head to the right so I could see her at my flank, warning her not to push me.

"It's not funny, Leah!"

"It's weird, I bet Bella won't like it," she added and I could see how smug her thoughts were getting as she envisaged Bella agreeing with her- not that agreeing with Bella was something she'd ever wanted in the past.

"Hmmm, probably not," I acknowledged, "but hopefully it will work out."

"It may work out for you," Leah said bitterly, "but what about me? I'll have to think of a new plan when this is over. We cannot go off together; you'll be stuck here for the rest of your life. So much for not wanting to imprint."

"Not like I had a choice," I replied scathingly, not in the mood for her pessimism.

"Well I refuse to imprint," she asserted stubbornly. Now it was Seth's turn to sigh.

"You won't be able to walk away if you do Leah. It's impossible, even I know that."

Even though Leah wasn't exactly being supportive, I did understand where she was coming from; it reminded me of when Edward was against Bella's child until he could hear Nessie's thoughts. I felt betrayed, and now I had done the same thing to Leah.

"I am sorry, Leah. But perhaps you and Seth can form your own pack."

My companions both snorted and I instantly realised they wouldn't last a day together unless one of them was a rightful Alpha.

"Nup, I'm staying with you man, you can't be the only wolf around here and anyway, I like the Cullens," Seth pointed out. Given what we had recently been through with the Cullens he had a childish desire to be included in their family, even from a distance.

"Well, the only good thing to come of this is the pain Bella caused you has gone. I'm grateful for that, though your feelings toward her child are puke-worthy."

I decided to ignore Leah's attempt to hurt me by saying: "I am glad the hurt is over, that's for sure. And I'm sorry about that by the way; I know it wouldn't have been easy on you guys."

"Well you never know, depending on how Sam and your father react, that may have been a synch," Leah countered, and it was only then that I considered the very real possibility that Leah's badgering and negative attitude would be nothing compared to that of my other brothers and my father.

But given the bond my dad and Sam had developed with the Cullens over the last couple of years, I hoped everything would be okay. Nevertheless, I gulped as I wondered whether they would understand… whether they at least love me enough to try.

We were fast approaching La Push. Seth and Leah decided not to come any further, not wanting to push our way into the area our other brothers were monitoring.

Seth wished me luck, nudging my left shoulder with his head.

"Thanks Seth. Keep an eye out on things until I get back."

"How long do you think it'll take?" Leah asked me, and I was flattered and also a little alarmed to discover that she was concerned I may get injured if things don't go well. Seth whined upon seeing the thoughts streaming through his sister's mind, but said nothing. I tried to block them out as I answered her: "I told Edward I should be back early tomorrow morning."

"Okay, well- I'll see you then," Leah said hesitantly. She looked past my shoulder and I could tell she found it strange to be so close to home, yet not be able to hear the thoughts of our previous pack.

"Look out for each other," I gave my final request as my pack members retreated from where I stood.

Although I could hear their begrudging reply: 'We will', I suddenly felt alone. I wasn't sure how to go about telling the pack and my father about my imprinting on Renesmee. Presumably, the wolves were on patrol and Dad was at home. I decided to run to my house and get in contact with Sam from there, who will then be able to summon as many of my brothers that could be spared from patrol.

As I was running, I decided to try some stuff out in my head.

_Sam? _I said to myself, feeling stupid. _Can you hear me?_

At first I felt I was just talking to myself- after all, I left Sam's pack, there was no way to talk to him now. But much to my surprise, a few seconds later, I heard Sam's voice clear in my mind.

_Jacob! _Sam replied sounding somewhat surprised. _What has happened? _He immediately asked me.

At these words, my mind went straight to Renesmee. Crap! I said to myself as I retracted my thought, thinking that Sam would have seen it. But he didn't say a word, and knowing Sam he would have said something had he seen I had imprinted on Bella and Edward's child.

_Nothing bad has happened, _I reassured him. _I was hoping to be able to talk with you, my dad and the rest of the pack at my house. Do you think you could meet me there?_

Sam paused before answering. _That shouldn't be a problem, _he replied in a reserved tone; I could tell he was hesitant to agree when he didn't know what I wanted to talk about. It was weird not knowing exactly what he was thinking- I supposed that Alphas could talk to each other, but could only see what the other wanted us to see. I ran this idea by Sam who, after thinking about it for a few seconds, eventually agreed with me.

_I'm almost home. I'll see you soon?_

_Yes, see you there._

Then just like that, our connection was severed. It felt weird, almost artificial- Sam and I were no longer connected to each other.

I could see my house in the distance. I quickly went behind a nearby tree to phase and put on the shorts I brought with me. Once I was dressed, I ran home. I could see my father on the porch. The moment he saw me, his face beamed. I was happy to see him too; it had been months since I last saw him.

"Hey Dad!" I shouted, waving like a kid as I bounded up the porch stairs.

"Jacob!" Dad greeted me, his arm held out for a hand shake and one armed hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to speak to you and the pack. I have something important I want to say," I told him, unable to keep the grin off my face. "Sam is getting the pack together, they should be here soon."

Whilst we were waiting for the others to arrive, Dad asked me how things were going. We hadn't properly spoken since I left Sam's pack, though we did speak on the phone a couple of times. Dad did not like the fact that I had left my brothers, and that Seth and Leah came with me, though he understood the latter was out of my hands. He always knew I was born to be an Alpha and was, in a way, proud of me for taking that step (when I had been so opposed to it in the past). But at the same time, he missed me, and wished my decision to split from the pack was not to protect vampires. Even though Dad and the others knew the Cullens were decent creatures, who looked after me and possibly saved my life, my father still saw my leaving the pack as choosing the vampires over my own tribe. In the end though, my dad was my dad and he wanted me to be happy. Once I was able to convince him over the phone that I wanted to protect Bella, he let me go saying that he hoped to see me soon and to look after myself.

Now, as I stood across from my father staring into our front yard, I felt terrible for not returning sooner.

"How long do you plan on staying?" Dad asked me, and I could tell he was hoping I would stay the weekend. But of course, I couldn't, which made me feel terrible. Dad was home alone at the moment, though he got plenty of visits from Charlie and Sue Clearwater.

"I'll stay the night and leave early tomorrow morning," I mumbled, unable to look my father in the eye- I knew disappointment would be there if I did.

Dad sighed unhappily. "Well at least I have the opportunity to catch up with you today," he added more optimistically. I smiled a little; I felt the same way. I missed talking with my dad and was glad he felt the same way.

Just then, I heard a howl in the surrounding forest and recognized immediately that it was Sam's. I wheeled my father down the ramp that led off the porch so he was facing my previous pack who were all in wolf form, standing just under the shadow of the trees that surrounded my father's property. I briefly looked at all the wolves- everyone was there. Wow, clearly people were interested in what I had to say. Dad and the wolves were all looking at me expectedly, waiting for me to start. Now that I was about to reveal the most important, most magical thing that had ever happened to me, I found it hard to speak.

"Thanks for coming," I started in a shaky voice; finding it really weird speaking so formally to my family.

I paused, not quite sure how to continue. Finally I said:

"I wanted to let you know that I have imprinted."

At first there was silence; apparently no one was expecting this. Everyone looked confused except for my dad who was smiling at me.

"Who have you imprinted on?" he asked, clearly thrilled that something so amazing and life-changing had happened to me. "Someone in La Push?" He guessed.

I shook my head. "No, her name is Renesmee," I told him. My father stared at me, wondering if he was meant to know who 'Renesmee' was given that she was not from La Push. I was about to explain, when Sam left the head of his pack to phase behind a tree. When he returned, he stormed up to me until he was three feet away. I knew he had guessed correctly who Renesmee was and was livid about it. But I didn't back down from his gaze as he asked me interrogatively.

"Who is Renesmee?" he demanded.

I heard quiet growls coming from the rest of the pack and knew they had caught on to what Sam had correctly assumed. Only my father was completely at a loss, though he quickly picked up on Sam's demeanour and eventually put two and two together.

"Renesmee is an unusual name," my father said out loud. The moment he realised Renesmee was a combination of Renee and Esme, I saw it click in his mind. He looked up at me, horrified.

"I didn't think that was possible," he uttered in amazement.

"That's what I thought," I admitted to him, Sam trembling beside me.

"Bella and Edward's offspring?" Dad clarified, just to make sure he had come to the correct conclusion.

I nodded. My confirmation of this created an instantaneous reaction among the wolves. There were many growls, all except Quil and Embry had their teeth bared in outrage. God, this was not going the way I planned.

"She is beautiful," I told my dad, knowing that the others wouldn't be a very friendly audience. I hoped that if I got Dad on my side, then perhaps the others would lay off. "And she can already communicate; her mind has developed very quickly. She grows fast too; when I left the Cullen's she looked closer to one year than 2 days old."

Dad stared at me then, apparently speechless. As if realizing the seriousness of what I was saying, his expression quickly turned from happiness, to curiosity, to concern.

I felt embarrassed when I realised everyone was staring at me. In my haste to feel more comfortable I added: "And she has a gift."

"What kind of gift?" Sam asked and I could tell he was thinking about Edward and wondering whether Renesmee's was just as astounding and powerful.

"When she touches your skin, she can show you images from her mind, what she's thinking and sometimes what she is feeling," I explained. I turned to Quil and Embry whose faces looked more worried than anything else and said with a smile on my face. "It's amazing actually; you can be talking to her and she can repeat the exact same conversation back to you, but from her perspective."

Silence.

I looked around at my audience waiting for a response, but the very heavy silence remained. I rested my eyes on Sam, who appeared frustrated and almost hurt that I had forced him and his pack into a forced reconciliation with the 'monster' in Bella's womb.

Seeing Sam's concern, which I knew to be completely unwarranted, I took a step towards him.

"She is not dangerous," I told Sam assertively.

"Even if she were," Sam replied, his voice deep with anger, "your imprinting on her prevents us from protecting our pack and the humans," he hissed dangerously, and I knew he would blame me if anyone was injured or killed because of Renesmee… because of my imprint.

I felt myself shaking, my arms quivering by my sides.

"Are you actually _blaming_ me for imprinting?" I spluttered, hardly believing my ears.

"No, I am merely saying that if Renesmee is unable to be controlled, we cannot step in because-"

"Hey! I didn't make up the rules you know?" I shouted at Sam, my heart feeling heavier by the second as it pounded rapidly in my chest. I had never felt so angry and hurt at the same time.

"What if she is venomous?" Sam retaliated, his hot breath hitting me in the face.

"She's not!" I replied somewhat defensively.

"How do you know?" Sam asked in a threatening tone, knowing that she must have bit a human for me to know for certain.

"When she was born she bit Bella," I hissed at him, hoping no one else would hear. Unfortunately, my brothers' supernatural hearing and my dad, who was leaning towards us, heard every word. I was doing my best to defend my imprint, but no matter how I tried so many aspects of her appeared more scary than beautiful if you hadn't met her.

"She drinks blood?" Dad questioned me, and I could see he was disgusted by this even though he was trying to hide it for my sake.

"Yes. Or at least, she prefers blood. She may be able to eat food eventually, I'm not sure…" I trailed off, wondering whether Nessie could have solid food one day or whether her digestive system wasn't made for that.

My hesitancy and brief pause gave Sam enough momentum to say what I knew he had wanted to say since he first heard I had imprinted on a half human, half vampire child.

"She is an unknown. Not even her own family knows what she will grow up to be," he announced imperatively, more to his fellow pack members rather than to me. I could tell he wanted to turn them all against me, which was fine by me as long as they didn't touch her.

"She's harmless- she's only a baby!" I objected when I saw the pack nodding their heads in reply to Sam's assertion.

"She drinks blood- they will have to teach her to hunt animals. What if she cannot be controlled like they are?" Sam fired at me.

"Who better to teach her than vampires who only drink animal blood? They won't let her be a danger to humans!" I countered, trembling slightly at how willing Sam and the others were to judge Renesmee when they hadn't even met her.

"You don't know that for certain."

"Do- do you really think Carlisle will let her hurt a human? A doctor? Seriously?" I demanded, my rage getting dangerously high; it was one thing to accuse my imprint of being potentially dangerous, but a whole other to say that the Cullens, especially Carlisle would allow it.

Sam shrugged. "As I said, she is an unknown- they may have difficulty controlling her."

"Oh yeah," I bit back sarcastically, "because Edward's gift doesn't help at all."

Having heard my sarcasm, Sam stepped forward so we were centimeters apart.

"Just because the Cullens can stop her does not mean she would not otherwise be dangerous. What if she is like the newborns? What if she cannot be taught?" Sam argued with me.

I spluttered hardly able to form words; if he knew how much Ness already understood, he would eat his words. But my indignation- my rage at such a ridiculous accusation only allowed me to yell "She can!" through my teeth.

"You are biased; you've imprinted on her," Sam countered and I could tell that this was his mindset; everything I said was clouded by my feelings.

I felt myself body tremble violently, and saw my dad wheel his chair several feet away from me, which I was glad for. Sam was pushing me too far.

"It is fact and if you would do your research properly and visit her, you would see that I am right!" I screamed at him, hurt that he was so against Renesmee and didn't trust me enough to judge the safety of our pack and the humans we are responsible for protecting.

"And if you're not?"

"I may not be a part of your pack anymore, but all of you," I said, looking around Sam's shoulder to make eye contact with them all, "are still my brothers. I will never allow anything bad to happen to this pack."

"Not intentionally. But it is up to me to make the final decision, not you!"

"There is no decision for you to make. While it is clear that you do not give a shit about my happiness, if you were to hurt her in any way, you would destroy me and you know it. I am not a part of your pack, so my pain probably won't affect you, but think about Seth and Leah. They are connected to my mind now and they will suffer if you hurt her."

Sam's eyes were hard as he stared at me, but my reminder had done the trick; he knew he could not harm Renesmee, for Seth and Leah's sake at least.

Dad took this moment of silence to speak, however cautiously; I was still shaking.

"What about your future, Jacob?" he asked me gently, concerned. "What if she keeps growing and aging?"

I turned towards my dad and walked a little closer to him, taking deep breaths to calm myself down a little. "It won't matter, Dad," I told him. "She's my imprint. As long as she is safe and happy that's all that matters." I reminded him as patiently as I could, yet a part of me could hardly believe I had to justify myself.

"What if she is infertile and can't have children?" Dad pressed on- clearly he wanted me know exactly what I could be getting myself into- not that I had a choice of course.

"We will find a way to have a family," I replied impatiently. "You know none of this matters when compared to my happiness," I told him sternly, wishing that at least someone near me would actually accept I was happy.

"Imprinting makes you feel happy," my father whispered under his breath, though of course I still heard him. "I am just concerned for your future Jake," Dad continued a little louder. Jeez, it's like they all thought I was drugged up with happiness which was why I couldn't see their side. But I could see their point of view; I just wholeheartedly disagreed with them.

"Although I am thrilled to have imprinted like anyone else would be, I am not blind to your fear, anger or worries for me," I informed Dad and Sam seriously, looking between the two of them. "But what if this happened to you?" I demanded of Sam. "What if you found out tomorrow that your imprint was transitioning into vampire? Paul? Quil? Jared? Imagine it for a second. Would it _matter_ to you? Could anything stop you from loving them?" I demanded of them, tears prickling in my eyes.

"We know you cannot help the way you feel, Jacob," Sam said more gently now; he found it easy to argue with me when I was yelling back, but now he forced himself to drop the Alpha mask and be the brother he should have been from the beginning. "We're just concerned for you. It doesn't make sense. Wolves and vampires have been enemies since the beginning of time- the idea that the two species should mix is unheard of and goes against all of our legends. We are not sure why imprinting happens, but whether it is to create stronger wolves or spread the gene, I cannot see how being with Renesmee will help either occur. Perhaps- perhaps when you knew you had lost Bella to death, in your grief you latched on to her daughter because it's the only way to be close to the Bella you lost?" Sam suggested delicately, as he struggled to account for my 'apparent' imprinting on Nessie by saying it never really happened. I was too angry to phase to show him, through my thoughts, how I felt when I imprinted, without attacking him, so I stood my ground, trying to take deep breaths to keep my hurt and anger under control.

Rather than seeing my silence as a sign of utter disbelief, shock and rage, Sam believed that I was contemplating the plausibility of his suggestion.

"It must have been a mistake," he insisted, however kindly; he believed I was pondering his words and would ultimately agree with him.

He could not have been more wrong.

My stomach dropped, my heart raced faster than I have ever felt it race, and my fists clenched at my sides as I sputtered with rage.

"You- you think that this was a mistake!" I shouted, my body shaking violently once more.

Sam held up his hands and took a couple of steps away from me; he was not expecting my reaction. Paul and Jared separated from the pack to stand at their leader's flanks, ready to attack should I accidently phase.

"Jacob, calm down," Dad commanded in a soothing voice. Unfortunately, I was beyond being soothed.

"You want me to be calm!" I demanded, turning my back on Sam to stare at my father. "The most amazing moment of my life and you think it was a mistake? " I shouted again, turning back to Sam, my eyes stinging with tears, my heart filled with betrayal and devastation.

"It doesn't make sense, Jacob," Sam persisted, more gently having seen the emotion in my eyes, though I could tell he was ready to phase should I lose it, which I was close to doing.

"Who cares?" I growled through my teeth. "Can't you just be happy for me?" I pleaded.

"She is a risk, Jacob. If things go wrong… we just want you to be careful and consider the future of the pa-"

"My imprint will _never_ hurt me!" I cried hysterically at the injustice of it all.

"You don't know that, Jacob."

I stared daggers at Sam before turning to my father, demanding to hear his opinions on the matter.

My father looked me in the eye, and I saw my pain reflected in his face. Although he hadn't said anything against Nessie, his silence on the matter told me loud and clear that he couldn't let go the purpose our pack is supposed to fulfill. But I also knew he was worried for me; I could see it in the lines of his face as he watched me suffer.

"I know this is an important moment for you, but this is difficult for me to grasp, Jake. I need time to get used to the idea that our family will one day be related to vampires," my father admitted to me, and I could tell it wasn't that he didn't want to be related to the Cullens, just that he never thought it was possible.

"The Cullens and the Quiluettes were never destined to be family," Sam supported my dad.

I stood back from my father so I could see both he and Sam clearly.

"I get that you need time to process this," I allowed, a hard edge in my voice. "But I bet the Cullens never dreamed of having a wolf as a member of their family either," I countered, shoving the opposite scenario in their faces.

Dad and Sam stared at me in shock; it was clear that neither of them had thought to consider how the Cullens reacted to my imprinting on Renesmee. This only rekindled my disappointment in my family as I realized with a pang in my heart how supportive the vampires were in comparison, even Rosalie.

"At the moment they are more like my family than you are," I hissed scathingly, hoping that they felt as betrayed by my words as I did by theirs.

The reaction from the pack was immediate. Paul was at the forefront of it all, and I could tell he was ready to pounce on me should I say one more thing against our tribe.

"Jacob!" my father ejaculated sternly, clearly offended that I had used the Cullens to insult my family, yet it was how I felt and that's what hurt him most.

"Do you think Edward was happy about this?" I demanded, looking into the faces of my audience, demanding any one of them to suggest that he was fine with it. "Of course not- his daughter was barely an hour old and now she is destined to be with me, should she choose it. But he has accepted it because he knows that I have- no- choice! You all _know _this. The father of my half-vampire, half-human imprint is more understanding than you!" I shouted, my voice quivering as I struggled to keep my feelings under control. "He has accepted that one day he will likely have a werewolf for a son-in-law and until then, he'll have to put up with me always being around. But you can't even be happy for me or at least civil towards her? I'm not asking you to live with her, for crying out loud!"

I took a couple of deep breaths in an effort to stay in control before continuing. "I foolishly hoped you would accept what has happened to me, smile, shake my hand, say congratulations or something," I muttered bitterly. "But instead I get this _shit_," my voice broke then as I took a shuddering breath.

"We need some time to get used to the idea; you took us by surprise, and we're concerned," Sam tried to console me.

"I get that," I acknowledged, angrily wiping the tears off my cheek. "I know it's hard, but you have to understand that this was meant to happen, like you and Emily were destined to be together. This was not a mistake and I am as sure of that as I am sure that the sun will rise tomorrow. I would not imprint on someone who is a danger to me."

"But can you understand that she _may_ be, Jacob? Her family are vampires and Bella-"

The fire and rage I had struggled to hold back begun to seep through. Had Sam seriously forgotten that what the Cullens are capable of doing is vastly different from their actions?

"I've had enough of your pathetic attempts at bringing down the Cullens when they have done nothing wrong. You all know I owe my life to them," I appealed to each of my brothers in turn with a piercing stare.

"You could have lost your life because of a vampire."

I screamed then, letting my rage tear through my lungs and my throat. My body was shaking so violently, I could hardly stand on the spot. I turned somewhat slowly to face Sam, who stayed where he was, his eyes cautiously watching me.

"When you grow a brain, let me know. For those who care, Bella will be a vampire soon, she is still transitioning. If you worry about anything, be worried that I'll be in the presence of a newborn in the next day or so! Bella will be stronger than anyone in her family- just as strong as the one who shattered my bones last year."

I saw my father cringe in the corner of my eye, but I didn't stop.

"But I have no qualms being there; I know the Cullens will look after me- at least they accept me."

"We accept you Jacob, even though you left us, we care about you which is why we're like this," Sam tried to reason with me.

"No, that's why _you're_ like this. While you can speak for the pack as a whole, not everyone may agree with you!"

But before Sam could find words to retaliate with, I continued.

"Our imprints become a part of us," I appealed to Sam, and immediately I saw a shift in his expression. "If you are not willing to accept Renesmee, then you will never understand who I am now. So much has changed in the last few days. I have seen so much horror, been through so much pain. To come out of it alive and then imprint on Nessie… she is my world. If you cannot accept that then you cannot be a part of my life! She is my imprint- by rules of our tribe and pack that means you cannot harm her. Are you still willing to stand by that, or will you make an exception because you think this is a mistake?" I spat at Sam.

I had finally rendered Sam speechless; he looked horrified.

Eventually Sam found his voice to speak. "She's safe," he confirmed.

I spun around so I was facing my father. The lines in his face were deep; he was saddened by my distress, but I could tell he was worried about the pack and the larger rift I was making between us.

"I won't be staying the night," I told him simply, not caring how much I was hurting his feelings- nothing I could say would hurt him as much as he hurt me.

I stormed deeper in to the forest so that I was closer to my brothers.

"If any of you ever realise that maybe imprinting happens for a reason, even if it is not clear to you or your Alpha," I added, glimpsing briefly at Sam. "You know where I'll be. If not, then I'll see you around… or not- I don't give a shit."

At that, I phased, tearing my shorts into shreds, not bothering to meander behind a tree to spare them- I was sure Emmett had plenty more. As I sprinted past my brothers, I saw Quil and Embry standing side by side. I couldn't see their faces properly because my eyes were full of large tears which quickly begun to splash down my face.

I was half expecting Embry and Quil to chase after me; I could tell they were upset when I was yelling at them. But then I realised with a crushing sadness that I couldn't share my mind with them even if they did follow me.

Aside from my raspy sobs and the whistling of the wind blowing past me as I ran, I could hear Seth and Leah faintly, but I didn't speak to them and they didn't talk to me. I could tell from the nature of their thoughts that they knew I was in pain, but they mercifully let me be until I was closer to the Cullen's.

As I ran, I thought of Renesmee. I desperately wanted to hold her- she was my only comfort now. But given the way I was feeling, the devastation, the anger, the disappointment, I knew I couldn't walk into the house feeling this way. Not only would Nessie be able to tell I was unhappy, but I did not want to break down in front of her.

When I finally made it back onto the Cullen's land, Seth bravely spoke to me.

"I'm so sorry, Jake."

I tried to brush it aside.  
>"It doesn't matter, I'm just sorry you and Leah have to deal with it."<p>

"We can phase into our human forms if you'd like?" Leah offered and I was surprised she was quite willing to do this, even though that meant wearing some of the clothes Esme had given to her a month ago.

"Thanks, but it's not necessary," I reassured them as I imagined myself phasing into my human form when I reached the river near the Cullen's house.

"As a human your feelings will be stronger," Leah reminded me sympathetically as she searched my thoughts trying to find my location.

"I know, but I have to deal with them eventually. I felt most of the pain when I was in La Push, so it shouldn't be too bad."

"Let us know if you change your mind. I- I'm sorry it didn't go well. Sam can be such an arse," Leah tried to console me, having finally reached me, she butted her head against my right shoulder.

"Thanks for trying," I said, feeling grateful that at least there were two wolves who understood my feelings. "I just need to be alone for a while. Don't tell the Cullens I am here, and stay away from the house so Edward can't hear your thoughts. But if you have to go near them, don't think about me- pretend I am still away. I will return to the house when I am ready," I told them.

Leah nodded at me and Seth said: "Okay mate."

Leah then left my side to stand closer to her brother so I had the privacy to phase. Once I had done so, I dragged myself to a nearby tree and sank to my knees. It felt awkward being naked, knowing that Seth, Leah and the Cullens were barely two kilometers away from me. When I was ready, I would ask Seth to get me some shorts, or otherwise approach the house so Edward could hear my request. But at that moment, being naked was barely occupying my thoughts; as I expected, a flood of emotions collapsed onto me as I physically and emotionally suffered through one of the worst days of my life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edward's POV

I was terribly anxious; Bella could finish transitioning at any moment and yet Carlisle was more than an hour away from home. The suspense was killing me. Even Alice's reassurance that Bella would be fine was not enough to settle my fear that something could go wrong. The number of broken bones Bella endured surely could not be mended even by vampire venom. It would be a miracle and I was not one to trust in the miraculous.

While I was pondering my love's fate, Jasper entered Carlisle's office for the third time that morning. I sighed when I heard him approach, Alice swiping me over the head when I did so, evidently not appreciating my growing impatience with her partner.

"I have found him, he is standing by the river," Jasper announced sorrowfully. His tone induced me to look at him.

"I am not leaving Bella," I reinforced for what was the eighth time that day. "Jacob will be fine," I insisted, knowing full well that the boy could handle himself.

"His comrades are concerned," Jasper told me in an even tone, though he was becoming impatient with my indifference towards someone who, in his opinion, would be far calmer with my assistance. Jasper then relayed to me in his mind a conversation he had with Seth moments ago.

"You are capable of bringing him some of Emmett's shorts," I pointed out sardonically once Jasper's recollection had ended.

Jasper took two long strides towards me. He was now well within my reach.

"He is _highly_ upset," Jasper emphasised, almost growling at me through his teeth, his golden eyes boring into mine.

"That is not my concern," I told him just as forcefully.

"If not for him, then for me," my brother insisted.

"I told you not to search for him. I warned you I would not be leaving Bella until she has completed her transition. You chose to look for him, Jasper. The emotional burden you have received from him can be alleviated via your assistance. You do not need me and neither does he. I assure you he will say as much himself," I asserted, in an effort to remind my brother that he should not have meddled; Jacob would return when he was ready.

"Bella will not complete her transition for a few hours," Alice informed me gently. "You could-"

"Alice, I am not leaving Bella!"

"Jasper and I will look over her. We will yell if there are any changes, you will hear us from the river."

I stared at her, furious. It was merely two years ago that my siblings were calling Jacob 'dog', 'mutt', 'putrid' and the rest of it. And now they wanted me to leave my transitioning wife, in order to comfort him? It was not my fault his family did not react well to his imprinting on Renesmee. I completely understood where they were coming from.

This was not my idea of the perfect day either. And yet, my siblings were being infuriatingly persistent.

Eventually I stood up faster than I normally would due to frustration.

"I will not be gone for long," I hissed at them. "If Bella wakes up while I am away…" I did not complete my threat; they knew very well that I would furious with them.

I quickly raided through Emmett's drawer until I found a clean pair of shorts, then ran to my bedroom and leapt out of my window, landing on a branch five feet away. I jumped down and sprinted towards the river; the sooner I found Jacob and gave him the shorts, the sooner I could return to my Bella. I was thankful that Leah and Seth's minds were not near me- I did not want to be delayed any more than I needed to be.

When I finally made it to the river bed, I searched the surrounding area, but there was no trace of Jacob's scent. Surely Jasper was not mistaken? I walked along the water's edge some 1000 meters down the line, further and further away from the house. I wondered at how far Jasper was willing to search for Jacob; Jasper would need to be within fifty feet of Jacob to sense his emotions.

_Nessie…_

Jacob's thoughts were… sad, desperate, tortured…

I turned to my right and quietly made my way downstream, Emmett's shorts held tightly within my grasp.

Finally I found the boy leaning against a nearby oak, his body bowed towards the trunk, his forehead pressed to the bark, his teeth bared in agony.

I thought Jasper was worrying unnecessarily, but I should have known my brother better than that- Jacob was in emotional agony but for what reason I couldn't quite gather. His thoughts were too clouded with emotion, rendering them incomprehensible as he jumped from one thought to another.

I inched my way into the clearing that surrounded Jacob. Jacob heard me, but didn't turn around. Instead he begged me to:

_Go away!_

I slowly approached Jacob, my arm outstretched, trying not to focus on my thoughts or his regarding his blatant nakedness.

"Here, Jacob," I offered, holding out the denim jeans.

Jacob took in a sharp breath of gratitude. He slowly dragged the shorts out of my grasp, walked behind the tree and put them on. But he didn't reappear.

"Jacob?"

"Thanks for the shorts," he muttered. "You should get back to Bella."

"Alice and Jasper are watching her, they will yell if there is any change," I said quietly as I moved around the trunk of the tree so I could see Jacob's face. He stayed where he was, though his eyes followed me around. When I was finally standing in front of him, he asked:

"How did you even find me here? I thought I was far enough from the house that you couldn't hear me?" Jacob felt he had no privacy- as if there was no escaping me. I laughed to myself: once my family cares about someone, it is hard to escape us.

"You are correct; I cannot hear you from the house. Jasper was concerned that you had not returned from La Push. He also picked up sadness from Seth and concern from Leah. Thinking that maybe something had gone wrong, it was he who went to find you. When he did and gathered how you were feeling, he returned home and asked me to make sure you are… managing."

"I'll manage," Jacob told me heatedly, annoyed that he never detected Jasper's scent when he was so close by.

"That is what I told Jasper, but now that I am here…"

"I- will- be- fine!" Jacob barked each word at me. _I want to be alone._

"You already feel alone," I told him gently. "It's not what you want."

"No, what I want is to have privacy, which is impossible when you are here!"

It was only then that I realised Jacob's jumbled thoughts were purposefully muddled; he didn't want me to see exactly what happened. However, I saw enough to work out the basic details.

"I'm sorry it didn't go well, Jacob."

"Whatever," he hissed at me. "You're probably happy they're giving me such a hard time; might as well let them do it for you," Jacob accused scathingly.

"Jacob," I said cautiously as I approached a little closer to him so I could squeeze his shoulder, "it is one thing for me to get angry with you, but a whole other for your family to do so. I do not take any pleasure in how their words have made you feel."

Jacob snorted. "Only because you can hear my thoughts- go back to Bella where you can relish in my suffering."

My stomach twisted for half a second when I realized the half-truth in what Jacob had just said; a small part of me did appreciate the resistance from Jacob's family. But that portion of my wishes was destroyed the moment I felt his pain.

"I am not leaving you," I replied simply.

Jacob didn't answer me- he continued leaning against the trunk taking deep calming breaths. I stood next to him waiting patiently for him to speak to me.

Eventually Jacob shook his head in wonder. "I was expecting a little resistance, but not this. I thought they would understand- that my father would be happy for me… I was so wrong."

"Your father is a decent man, as are your brothers. When they've recovered from the shock, they can visit her and see for themselves."

"They won't come!" he shouted at me, hurt because he knew it to be true. "Why would they put themselves 'at risk' of being hurt by a three day old baby?" he demanded sarcastically, and I could see that this is what upset Jacob the most; they had judged her without even taking the time to meet her.

"To them, Renesmee is a risk. I am sure you would feel the same if one of your brothers told you something similar," I tried to reason with him.

"I would not have turned my back on any of my brothers until I knew for certain!" Jacob insisted, his fists clenched at his sides as he tried to conceal his hurt from me.

"Your feelings are valid. Don't hide them because I am here or because you are afraid of phasing."

Jacob looked at me then, shocked that I had understood what was going through his mind given that he was purposefully trying to make his thoughts confusing for me.

Nevertheless, he took my words seriously, and slowly I felt his thoughts and his feelings become clearer.

"This was meant to be the happiest moment of my life and they ruined it!" Jacob cried through his teeth to stop his voice from travelling too far.

I saw a flash of Sam's face, his mouth opened, evidently getting ready to shout, but before I heard anything, Jacob's mind went blank

"Leave me alone; I don't want you to hear this," Jacob said suddenly, turning away from me, grasping his head in his hands.

"I can accept whatever they have to say, and how you feel about it. Even though I can hear your thoughts, you are still entitled to them, and I would never take that away from you," I told him gently. "Even if what you are thinking offends me," I added, forcing him to look at my face to show him I meant what I said.

Jacob's eyes widened upon seeing close up how dark my eyes were, but he didn't say anything, though he did quickly turn away from me to stare at the ground, his lips turned down in frustration.

"I wish I could stop letting what they said bug me," he said longingly, resuming his hold on his head as if trying to force his thoughts out of him.

I looked at him seriously. "They hurt you."

Jacob nodded and sniffled, never taking his eyes off the ground.

"And most of what they said may not even be true," he mumbled.

_May _not? I thought to myself. Now I was interested to hear exactly what Sam said.

"Show me what happened," I requested, wondering whether he would.

Jacob paused not moving or saying anything. Eventually he lifted up his head to look at me, scrutinizing my face for empathy. He must have found it somewhere, because the next thing I knew I could see Sam on one side of me and Billy on the other. I watched the heated discussion with interest. However, after some time, Jacob's anger, frustration and sense of betrayal made it difficult for me to continue watching the conversation. But I did, to discover that retrospectively, Jacob was not only disappointed, but afraid too. From what I could see, he had spent the last few hours replaying the conversation in his head, to the extent where he questioned himself: Perhaps Sam and Billy were right about Renemee's future? And yet, on the other side of this, Jacob was still angry that they didn't trust him, especially when Sam implied that imprinting on my daughter was an evolutionary mistake. The latter point signified the end of Jacob's replay; while there was more to the story, Jacob could not relive the moment any longer.

_It was not a mistake! _Jacob said to himself, rage filling him up, causing his hands to shake. But there was also sadness in Jacob's eyes as I watched him. The fact was that a small part of him, a part he hated, wondered if it _was_ a mistake. After all, everything he was taught since he was a boy suggested that imprinting on Renesmee should have been impossible. Jacob was having difficulty coping with the conflict within him, his gut was clenched with guilt, frustrated tears filled his eyes, his heart raced as he tried to keep himself under control. I gave Jacob some time to recuperate. Without looking at me, he turned to face the tree and leaned against it, his head resting in his folded arms as he forced himself to take deep breaths.

Now that his back was towards me, I moved closer to him and whispered:

"I know something that may help."

Jacob turned around to look at me; he did not believe there was any way to lessen his feelings.

"Listen to what I have to say," I implored him, hoping that my perspective may ease his pain a little.

"I don't care what you think!" Jacob shouted, standing completely upright so he towered over me. "Didn't you get that when I just poured out those memories to you? I don't care what anyone thinks! What I think- what I feel- is what should matter!" he screamed as he reached out, grabbed me by the shoulders and attempted to push me. I hardly moved, but Jacob did not seem to notice; it seemed he was choosing to cope with his anger on a physical level- it was all he had left.

"Jacob," I reacted almost instantly, half-berating, half-sympathetic as I reached out to rub his shoulder. To my surprise, Jacob did not stop my gesture. After ten seconds, I saw angry tears pour down Jacob's face. I pulled him gently towards me as he continued to cry, his tears falling onto my shoulder as he allowed the pain of the last few hours encompass him.

Jacob collapsed towards me using the strength of my body to hold him up- the poor boy was tired and exhausted, more emotionally than physically. Remembering Bella and the hopeful arrival of Carlisle and Esme, I decided to, for everyone's sake encourage Jacob to talk.

"I know you are in a lot of pain. Please, will you listen to me?" I asked softly in his ear.

He shook his head, his chin scraping against my shoulder as he did so.

_I just want to be left alone- you'll force me away from Nessie if you knew what I was truly thinking._

Physically I didn't react to this, but I felt shocked by what he said. I was almost certain I knew most of Jacob's thoughts, but in case I was wrong, I decided to say:

"There is nothing you could say that would surprise me. Remember what I told you yesterday, I will never take her away from you. I couldn't do that to you or to Renesmee."

"You can't promise that," Jacob told me, pulling away from me then, and wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Let me help you like you helped me," I tried to reason with him.

At first, Jacob was confused by this, wondering when he had helped me. Eventually he remembered my empty, black eyes and my tortured, hollow, death-like face- a side of me he would never forget. I was suffering then, and now Jacob was suffering.

Jacob didn't answer me, so taking that as a 'maybe' or a 'yes', I launched into speech before he could stop me.

"As far as we know, Renesmee is unique. We have no idea what her future will be like or how long it will last. She is a mystery, and people are often scared of what they do not understand."

"Fear and anger are totally different."

"Yet they grow out of one another," I insisted. "I feel Sam was angry because he was afraid, for you," Jacob snorted, "for his pack and for the human race in general."

"Yet he thinks my imprint may hurt me."

"She may," I said reasonably, "but she wouldn't mean to. Already she loves you; she sees you as a friend and likes to know where you are. She has been asking Rosalie about you every couple of hours since you left. It's driving her mad."

Jacob smiled at this, happy that he had made even a small impression on her.

_I miss her._

I nodded.

"I just want her to be happy, but I'm afraid she won't be…" Jacob trailed off. I looked at him inquisitively. He avoided my gaze and closed his eyes tightly. Eventually I was able to decipher his thoughts.

"You are worried about what your father said?" I asked sympathetically. "What if she keeps growing? What if Renesmee is infertile?"

"With people around her who have stopped aging, what if she keeps getting older? What if she looks older than my father one day? Given the way she's going, it's not unlikely!" Jacob pointed out somewhat hysterically.

"Are you afraid it will look strange being with her in public?" I asked, not quite sure where his sadness was coming from.

"No," Jacob replied instantly, hurt- offended that I thought he would think such a thing.

_I would never feel that way._

"Then why are you so upset?" I asked, thinking it may be safer to ask given that my assumptions were evidently wrong.

"Nessie won't be happy," Jacob told me with such certainty that I felt compelled to believe it would be true, even though I hoped it wouldn't be so.

"Jacob-"

"She'll be so sad," Jacob continued, his eyes filling with tears. "She may feel like she's the odd one out, and wonder what's wrong with her," Jacob's voice broke then.

"Hey," I sang soothingly, reaching out to give the boy a hug. He leant on me, his head resting on my shoulder. "Try not to worry until we know for certain how Renesmee is likely to age. She may be sad, but she has her family and you. No matter how long she has on Earth, we will all make it a wonderful experience for her."

Jacob sniffled, and then pulled away from me, wiping his eyes.

"I'm being so stupid," he mumbled.

"You are thinking ahead. It is good to plan the future, as long as we remember to live in the present. She is here now: young, happy and healthy. We can worry about our other concerns if the time comes."

"What about her thirst. Do you think she'll hunt with your family?"

"I feel she will always prefer blood. Her thirst is not as strong as a full vampire's, but I do feel she will hunt with us. When she is older, you may be able to persuade her to try some of Esme's cooking."

Jacob gave a small laugh and envisaged Renesmee eating a very rare piece of steak. But then his mind reverted back to what Sam had suggested.

"You don't- you don't think she'll want to drink my blood do you? When she's thirsty and we don't have time to hunt?" he asked me hesitantly, feeling embarrassed.

I gave Jacob a warm smile.

"I have two answers to your question," I told him kindly. "First, your blood does not taste as good as human or even animal blood. The 'wolf' smell, which has no doubt evolved in your DNA, is rather repulsive," I told him delicately. "However, the second thing I have to say is that I feel you were right: your imprint will not hurt you that way, even if she is half vampire."

Jacob sighed in relief, glad that he was right, relieved that blood thirst was not stronger than imprinting.

I reached out and clapped Jacob on the shoulder.

"Your fears are like mine, Jacob. I worry for her future too; she has already grown 3 inches since she was born. It scares all of us- we know so little about creatures like her. It's okay to be scared and to wonder whether this is a mistake. It seems so ironic that you should imprint on the 'monster' who almost killed Bella." Jacob cringed as I said this, but continued to listen. "But this is your reality, and I know that you believe in here," I told him, placing my left hand over his beating heart, "that this was meant to happen."

Jacob stared at me in wonder. Although he didn't put it into words, his thoughts were of gratitude. He felt understood.

"But one thing I do know about her future is that you will be in it. Your worries are only a small part of what you truly feel- love, devotion, joy..."

Jacob nodded; my speech had rendered him speechless.

I reached over and held Jacob by the shoulders.

"I wouldn't have known any of this if I had not seen the way you are with my daughter. You have high hopes for her; you think about her future- not whether she will want to be your partner in life, but whether she will be happy, with or without you. Although she is like you in many ways, she is essentially very different from you. No one could understand how you could care for someone unconditionally when you were raised to believe that your species and hers should be enemies. But your family are not here like I am. They cannot see all this. I am sure they will give Renesmee a chance when they are ready. They just need time."

"They shouldn't need it."

"You know it isn't that simple for them."

"What's so hard about saying: "I need some time to consider this, in the mean time I won't cut you down and make you feel like shit!" Jacob waited for an answer, but I didn't give him one- I felt it was rhetorical.

Eventually, he sighed deeply, a single sob followed immediately after. "This isn't the way it was meant to be- they- they think it's all a mistake, apparently my life is a mistake," Jacob said, a sense of sorrow in his tone rather than bitterness or anger.

"I heard," I reminded him, nodding sympathetically as I remembered the memory Jacob showed me.

"My life finally makes sense, and then they walk all over it," Jacob mumbled, then punched the trunk of the tree in frustration. I tried to decipher his thoughts to determine whether it was imprinting on Renesmee that made his life make sense, or something more. But his emotions made it difficult to focus on the images in his mind.

"You are confusing me, Jacob. I can't keep track. Tell me what you mean."

"You'll think it's stupid," he spat at me, suddenly becoming defensive.

"I doubt that," I told him honestly. "Whatever it is, you haven't told anyone about it, have you?" I asked him, though it was more of a statement than a question.

"I haven't told anyone," he confirmed, his tone dropping and I could tell he wished he had had the opportunity to tell Sam and his father before he stormed off.

"I will listen; it sounds like you want to tell somebody," I said gently. I then moved away from Jacob and sat on a nearby rock, waiting for him to begin.

Jacob looked at me perplexed; he found it strange that I had sat down, as if he was performing rather than talking to me.

After pausing for a moment to get used to the idea, Jacob turned to face me and took a deep breath.

"You won't like me saying this, but hear me out," Jacob began, insisting that I give him the chance to complete his story, which I had every intention of doing. I nodded my head to show him I would pay attention.

"When you left Bella two years ago, I know that it caused both of you a lot of pain. But with you out of the way, it gave me the opportunity to get to know Bella. She came to me for comfort and we quickly became best friends. Talking to each other was like breathing. It was as if I had known her for years."

"You do understand her very well," I contributed.

"Thanks; I feel I do. As you know I fell in love with her and she- well- loved me, but not as much as she loved you. But if you never left her, we never would have become friends, Bella and I. She never would have seen me if you were around and I never would have bothered with getting her attention with you nearby. So you see, you were _meant_ to leave, so I would have the opportunity to be with her." Jacob paused then, apparently waiting for me to react, but I didn't. I wanted to tell him that that was ridiculous, but instead I pondered over what he said.

Before I could come to any conclusions, he continued somewhat hesitantly.

"When you returned, things went back to the way they were, except now I was in love with Bella. I felt this need to make her see that. Even though I knew it was a long shot, I knew I had to try because I could not see my life without her in it. So I persisted; I couldn't let her go. Until two days ago, I thought all of the pain I caused all three of us was pointless. But now," Jacob stared at me with determination, "I realize it was worth it. A part of me always felt I needed to stay with Bella, and now I know why: to be around when Renesmee was born. If you never left, I never would have become friends with Bella. If I didn't stick around, I would be in La Push right now and probably would have supported Sam when he decided to 'kill'," Jacob shuddered at the idea of a reality that could have quite easily come true, "Bella and Renesmee. Members of my pack would have got hurt and members of your family may have also. If that happened, Renesmee and Bella may have died- I could have killed my own imprint without even knowing!" Jacob cried out in pain at the idea of even hurting, let alone killing Renesmee.

"I never would have known about Renesmee, I never would have had the opportunity to have the amazing life I hope to have with her one day. All of the pain and rejection from Bella- the reason why I persisted with her even though I knew she loved you more- why things were so easy with us- it was for this moment!" Jacob informed me, his face had the appearance of someone who had just made a life changing discovery.

But then suddenly, Jacob's face twisted up in disgust and bitter disappointment.

"But they think it was a coincidence- a mistake- how could I imprint on something that has vampire DNA? It doesn't make sense to them, but it makes sense to me!"

"I know Jacob, calm down," I tried to encourage him, as I stood up from the rock I was sitting on, my arms up in a surrendering gesture.

"Calm down? They think my imprinting on Nessie- the new life I see for myself- is a mistake!" Jacob screamed, pushing me away from him by hitting me in the chest. Jacob shook his hand vigorously when my body didn't move against his force.

"They will come through for you," I tried to reassure him. In terms of Billy, I was certain he would at the very least.

"But they don't understand!" he emphasised, his closed fist held to his chest to represent his feelings and what he knew to be true. "The first time I saw Bella I loved her eyes, so warm and kind. She and I clicked like that," Jacob informed me again, snapping his fingers to indicate just how quickly they 'clicked'. "I always knew I was meant to be with her, there was something special about our relationship. I couldn't stop thinking about her. And now, to see that Nessie has Bella's eyes… it makes so much sense," Jacob breathed, a small smile on his lips as he stared at the ground. I felt happy for him, for Renesmee and for myself to know that Bellahad made the right decision to fight for her daughter.

I found myself nodding in agreement- it was difficult to deny the significance and the truth of his discovery.

After a couple of minutes' contemplation, Jacob raised his head to look at me. I returned his gaze, and waited for him to speak. Much to my surprise, the boy exhaled quickly, a sign that he had come to some form of understanding. Then turning away from me, he shook his head, apparently in disbelief, yet the smile on his face and the tears in his eyes told me that whatever else he had realized in those ten seconds was not unpleasant.

And _you_," Jacob continued in a stronger, more emotional voice as he turned back to me.

"When I first held Renesmee and smelt her skin…" Jacob paused, closing his eyes so he could relive that moment again. "She smells like you," Jacob half-cried, half-laughed as tears poured down his face, his eyes focused on mine again. "_That's_ why I was able to get used to your scent so quickly when I was bitten by Victoria. A part of me must have known that one day your scent would be a source of comfort, rather than a danger. This was _not_ a mistake," Jacob whispered almost in awe, as if he himself didn't truly believe the fact until that moment.

As crazy as it sounded, it was only crazy because it seemed to fit so well.

"I see that now," I whispered gently, finding it difficult not to be moved by his revelation; I had also wondered how and why Jacob was able to find comfort in my scent.

"Everything makes so much sense- it's happened for a reason and I thought- I hoped they would understand how much this means to me. I thought I would have their support- if _you_ all turned against me, at least I would have them, but I don't," Jacob admitted tearfully to me, his voice breaking with emotion.

"Your father loves you."

Jacob snorted. _Not enough._

"He is a good man. I know he will come through for you. And when he does, he is welcome to visit us at any time."

Jacob wiped away his tears.

_I hope you're right. _

I was surprised that Jacob was already missing his father, but I quickly learnt through the boy's thoughts that he understood that Billy was genuinely worried about him, so would forgive him willingly whenever his father came around. With Sam however, their relationship would probably take far more work before Jacob could forgive his prejudice and lack of sympathy, having inconveniently imprinted himself.

"I know it is not the same, but until your father comes to visit us, we'll be here for you."

Jacob let out a single bark of a laugh, and then sniffled. "Sure, sure."

"It'll be okay, Jacob," I whispered, patting the boy on the back.

"Thanks Edward."

"You're welcome."

I was about to suggest he return to the house with me, but the scent of my father occupied my attention. _Finally_, I thought to myself. I slowly let go of Jacob.

"Carlisle and Esme are here," I told Jacob, who nodded and wiped his eyes so my parents wouldn't know he had been upset.

A few seconds later, Carlisle and Esme reached us. After greetings went around, the four of us ran back to the house, Carlisle and I discussing Bella's condition as we went.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rosalie's POV

It had been 60 hours since Renesmee was born- 60 hours that I have been sharing a beautiful baby with a mutt.

I had a whole 24 hours with Renesmee which was wonderful, though it annoyed me slightly that she kept asking when Jacob would be returning. I never let on my frustration though, I kept reassuring her he would be back soon, and thankfully she trusted me. The morning after Jacob had left us, Renesmee was asleep in my arms. This gave me some time to walk carefully around the house seeing what my siblings were up to. Jasper was the only one doing anything productive, though what he was doing I wasn't quite sure of at the time. He would stand stationary for a few seconds on our front porch, then run into the forest the next, then reappear at the porch, concentrating once more. I would have asked him what he was up to, but given that neither Alice nor Edward were with him, I figured it wasn't that important. After half an hour of what appeared to be an investigation, Jasper went upstairs to Carlisle's office to speak with Edward.

I sighed when I heard what he had been doing. The wolf was a wolf for crying out loud; he could take care of himself. Apparently Edward felt similarly, but much to my surprise Jasper kept pushing the issue. I listened carefully. It didn't really bother me that Jacob's meeting with his wolf brothers and father didn't go well- in fact, I felt rather happy about it given that Edward's anger at Jacob was a huge disappointment in comparison. At least someone told the boy how weird it was that he imprinted on a baby vampire/human child. I wasn't allowed to say such a thing because of the deal Edward forced us to make, so I was glad someone was able to. Disgruntled, Edward left Bella's side to find Jacob and bring him home.

_Great, _I thought to myself grimly as I kissed Renesmee's forehead.

"You'll be mine for only a little bit longer," I sang quietly to her, planning to make the most of the time we had left before Jacob would return and demand he hold her again.

Much to my surprise, it took 65 minutes before Jacob returned with Edward, Carlisle and Esme. They were running to the door. Edward entered first, leading Carlisle straight upstairs to the room Bella had been in since she gave birth to Renesmee. Esme hung back a little, to observe more than anything else, as she watched Jacob approach me and a still sleeping Renesmee.

He looked up at me, silently begging me to hand her over without a fuss. I decided to give him that much because I didn't want to wake her by arguing and because I could see he was tired. He wouldn't last long. I gently passed Renesmee into Jacob's arms. She shifted slightly in her sleep, turning her head so she was facing Jacob's chest. I watched the wolf's face as he held her. His eyes were swollen and blood shot; he had been crying. Jacob's meeting at La Push must have been worse than I thought.

It was barely 10 seconds after being placed in his arms that Renesmee woke up. Her little nose was twitching adorably.

I grumbled to myself: she already recognized Jacob's scent.

Her eyes opened wide, bright as ever as if she'd been awake for hours. She stared straight up at Jacob's face.

"Good morning, Nessie," Jacob cooed, a huge smile on his face. "I'm back!"

Renesmee reached up to touch his neck. He bent down to help her reach.

I didn't know what she was showing him, but Jacob was frowning slightly. When she was finished, Jacob straightened up and said: "I went to visit my family," he told her. "May be one day they will come to see you," Jacob said, trying to sound optimistic as he touched the tip of her nose with his finger. "But in the mean time, you have some more family to meet," Jacob continued more cheerfully, turning around so Renesmee could see Esme.

"Good morning, Gorgeous!" Esme sang, coming forward now to hold Renesmee's hand, which was waving at her.

"This is your…" Jacob paused, looking at Esme hesitantly. I could tell he found it weird that someone who looked so young could be a grandmother. "This is your Grandma Esme," Jacob introduced, looking at Esme uncertainly, not sure if that was what she wanted her granddaughter to call her. Esme gave the wolf a reassuring nod, and then tried to continue playing with Renesmee. However, our little baby didn't want to play, Esme had mistaken her reaching out to her as a desire to play.

"Esme, let her touch your face," I informed her, just so little Renesmee would stop whining and struggling.

"Oh!" Esme exclaimed, surprised at such a strange request. She bent down a little so her face was within Renesmee's reach. "There you go," Esme offered, evidently not expecting anything to happen except to feel Renesmee warm hand on her skin.

"Oh my," Esme exclaimed in awe, her eyes open but clearly not able to see anything except what Renesmee was showing her. When Renesmee removed her hand, Esme smiled and tickled Renesmee under her chin.

"You are so clever, Sweetheart," Esme cooed. "The end of your name and my name does sound the same," she praised her. "Your Mommy and Daddy named you after me and your Mommy's mother. Do you understand?"

Renesmee nodded and clapped her hands together.

Then Renesmee reached out Esme again, going so far as to lean out of Jacob's arms.

"Do you want Grandma Esme to hold you?" Jacob asked Renesmee, who nodded her head energetically. "Okay, here we go!" Jacob then 'zoomed' Renesmee over to Esme and 'landed' her in Esme's arms. Esme looked at Jacob apologetically- I could tell she knew she was taking valuable time away from the wolf, but Jacob just smiled back and stood nearby so Renesmee would know he was still around.

I went into the living room then where I knew Alice, Jasper and Emmett were sitting watching TV.

"Esme's in the room next door with Jacob and Renesmee if you want to say 'hi'," I informed them.

"Esme!" Alice cheered, and then skipped her way next door. Her partner and mine followed her out; we all missed Esme when she and Carlisle were gone. By the time we entered the room, Alice had already welcomed Esme home and was completely absorbed with Renesmee.

"She is so adorable!" Alice cooed, gently holding Renesmee's little hand in her own.

"I don't think we could find a happier child," Jasper whispered, and I could tell he was relieved that our niece didn't cry like normal babies did. It would have driven us all a little crazy, but especially Jasper.

"I still can't believe Bella did it," Emmett admitted as he eyed Renesmee's bronze hair, "she is definitely Edward's baby."

"She was worth every second," Esme asserted, her smile dimpling her cheeks.

"Well I knew she could do it," I chimed in, though that wasn't entirely true. Like Edward and Jacob had both guessed (and correctly so), Renesmee was my primary concern, not Bella. I knew the stories about mothers who gave birth to part vampire children and knew the odds weren't good, but unlike the others, I was easily able to push that aside- it was the price Bella was willing to pay- I wasn't about to deny her that.

"It was a huge risk, but Bella definitely made it; her heart is beating fast and strong," Alice commended cheerfully. Other than Edward, my sister would have been the next affected should Bella not have made it. I then thought of Jacob, but then remembered his attachment to Renesmee. He had hardly said anything about Bella- it made me think that the attraction that connected the two of them during the pregnancy really was because of Renesmee.

Esme gave Renesmee back to Jacob then, and I watched with jealousy as Jacob held her again. I missed her so much and she wasn't even my child. I could only imagine how Jacob and Edward feel and how Bella is going to feel when they're not around her- it's like she has a magic pull on all of us. But I didn't have long to miss my precious girl, because soon Emmett had his arms around me.

"You should hunt," he reminded me, kissing the side of my neck.

"I'm not leaving her," I told him stubbornly. He already knew this- I didn't know why he kept telling me to hunt.

"You need to drink something, Rose," he chided kindly.

I pointed to the bottle on the coffee table.

"You've been stealing the baby's lunch?" he asked in a shocked mocking tone.

"I've had sips," I admitted quietly. "It's enough to keep me going."

"You need something more substantial," Jasper contributed, sounding serious. Perhaps he could sense the desire in me.

"I'll hunt, when _he_ leaves," I whispered, pointing in Jacob's direction.

Alice stared at me, her eyebrows raised.

"You should have hunted when he left yesterday. He's never going to leave again if he can help it," she said doubtfully. "He will win if that's the game you want to play."

I turned my nose up at her- I didn't care if I lost; I was making a point.

"Why don't I go find a deer for you?" Emmett teased.

"I can hunt perfectly fine, thank you. I will go soon," though when soon was, I had no idea. Perhaps I would head out when Edward and Bella did, and entrust the remaining family members to stay close to Renesmee even though Jacob was watching over her.

Esme decided to go upstairs to see Bella, and Alice and Jasper decided to follow because Edward wanted an update from Alice about Bella's condition.

They waved goodbye as they ascended the stairs.

Emmett went back into the living room to watch TV; the Mariners were playing. Much to my disappointment, Jacob appeared wide awake even though he looked terrible. Judging by his appearance, he didn't have any sleep last night.

"Where did Emmett go?" he asked, finding it strange that he would leave me.

"He's gone to watch the game," I replied indifferently. I was willing to bet anything that the wolf was dying for some time alone with Renesmee after being away for so long, just to be with her without me watching like a hawk. I knew I made him uncomfortable, but I didn't care.

Renesmee, from all the excitement of being surrounded and spoken to by her family, had become thirsty again. She started reaching for Jacob's neck, just as I was reaching for her bottle.

"What's the matter?" he asked urgently, his voice rising in pitch when he saw her reach out from beneath her blanket. God he was such a worry wart.

"She's just thirsty," I asserted as if it was the most beautiful thing in the world to want blood, just to show him that this was something I understood about her that he never could. I held out my right arm to accept Renesmee, but Jacob wouldn't pass her to me.

"I can feed her," he insisted, while my arm waited impatiently.

"Remember Edward's deal?" I taunted him.

Jacob hissed at me. "I haven't seen her for a day! Come on!"

"You don't know how," I argued back. "There is a special technique."

"I'm sure I can handle it," he sighed, his arm outstretched, expecting me to just pass over the bottle. I moved it away from him. "Aw, come on!" he protested. "You've been holding and feeding her for the last day, I want some time with her!"

"Let me feed her, then you can hold her," I lied, having no intention of giving Renesmee up unless she asked me to give her to Jacob.

Jacob snorted. "Think I believe that?" Damn, he was getting too used to my lies.

"Do you think I would be stupid enough to believe that you'd give her back unless I forced you?" I hissed at him.

"I dunno, ask your brain cell!" he fired back at me.

"Hey now," Emmett half-heartedly intervened from the living room, though I knew he would be by my side in an instant should our argument get physical.

"Don't get me started, wolf-" but then I stopped yelling; I could hear Edward and Carlisle talking upstairs. Jacob stopped too; he noticed that I was distracted by something.

I smirked at what I'd heard.

"What?" Jacob demanded.

"Carlisle just said that he thought he'd seen everything. I guess he never would have dreamed of witnessing a wolf imprint on a child that is half human and half vampire," I asserted, wondering whether it was along similar lines that the wolf's family objected to his imprinting on Renesmee.

Jacob growled at me, but kept his distance; he didn't want to alarm Renesmee, who was watching us curiously.

"Ha," I laughed, though more in surprise than amusement as I continued listening to what was happening upstairs, "Carlisle thinks it could lead to bloodshed between you and me, but Edward doesn't want to leave Bella to intervene."

"Typical, though I guess not too surprising; Bella should finish her transition at any moment."

"He left her to find you," I pointed out antagonistically. Much to my disappointment, he took this reminder as a compliment.

"That's because I'm special," he told me childishly, though I could see he was only trying to cover up how he truly felt: grateful, yet embarrassed and sad. But I decided not to dwell on it for Renesmee's sake.

"Apparently not special enough for Edward to protect you from me," I threatened only half-heartedly.

Jacob grinned at me; he evidently found the idea of a fight to be amusing.

I did too, but only until Renesmee would cry because one of us got injured.

"Hmmm, Edward doesn't even know who he'd want to win if it did come to a fight," I commentated for him; his hearing wasn't as good as mine.

"Well I get why he'd still be pissed at me, but what did you do?" Jacob asked me, evidently confused, and I suppose I didn't blame him, there was a lot going on when I committed my 'crime'.

"I almost killed his wife, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Think he'll ever forgive you?"

"Think he'll ever forgive you?" I retorted back, not sure whether he would be able to forgive either of us, even though neither of us could exactly control what happened.

Renesmee began to cry then, I felt terrible and I could tell Jacob did too. Immediately we began fussing over her.

"Awww, we're sorry baby," I said in my cutest sing-song voice. "It's only because we both want to have some time with you."

But it seemed like Renesmee didn't care so much that we were arguing, rather she was thirsty and was becoming impatient.

I decided we needed to negotiate quickly; I didn't like the idea of my little one having to wait for anything.

"Okay, how about I hold her and you feed her. Then you can show me how to do it so I can feed her next time?" Jacob suggested as a compromise, as he ran his finger along Renesmee's cheek in an effort to comfort her. In the corner of my eye, I saw Renesmee grab hold of Jacob's finger in her tiny fist- she was the most adorable child I had ever seen in my life.

"Well?" he pressed, for I still hadn't given him an answer; I was too preoccupied with watching my gorgeous niece.

"Okay, but I am holding her next-" I eventually answered.

"Hey!" Jacob cried out suddenly as he pulled his finger away from Renesmee.

I burst out laughing as the wolf's blood began to seep slowly from the small bite Renesmee had given him.

After he processed the shock of being bitten by his imprint, Jacob began laughing too. He held his finger back to Renesmee's lips. He and I both watched as she sucked happily on his finger. Eventually, I decided to replace his finger with her bottle, not that I minded watching Renesmee drink his blood, though it annoyed me that he seemed to be enjoying it too.

When Renesmee had taken the bottle, Jacob said:

"Well, this has just proven that I can give Nessie something none of you can."

"Fresh blood?" I asked, slightly confused as to whether Jacob should see that as a good or bad thing. But of course, anything that made Renesmee happy was a good thing in his eyes.

"Yup," he asserted proudly, and then turned his gaze back to Renesmee who was still drinking blood from the bottle.

His bragging mixed in with devoted love made me want to puke, but at the same time, I could not begrudge him for it; I wanted the same for her too.

I continued to watch Jacob with Renesmee, and found myself shaking my head in wonder; my niece had so many people to love her, I just never thought the wolf would be one of them.

I sighed; this was something I would eventually have to accept.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note: I always wondered how the pack and Billy reacted to finding out about Jacob's imprinting on Renesmee. While it was implied (in canon) that they dealt with it quite well due to the restriction their law places on killing the object of another's imprinting, I still couldn't imagine them being happy about it. While Sam and Billy respect the Cullens, their reservations about Renesmee, I feel, are understandable. In my mind, it would be weird if they were not concerned, Sam for his pack, and Billy for his son. Yet, given the events of 'Trust me' I don't truly believe that Sam would have been so cruel to suggest Jake's imprinting on Ness to be a mistake, but I wanted this to be said, because I wanted an emotional Jake/Edward scene to occur upon his return. So I hope you don't mind me tweaking things a bit!

In my mind, I felt Jake's imprinting on Ness was meant to happen- everything Jake tells Edward in his spiel is what I believe and is the reason why I love Breaking Dawn: when the reader is indirectly shown how all the events in previous books led to this moment. I hope this chapter answered why Jacob was able to get used to Edward's scent so quickly- I hope you found my explanation to be a plausible one. Please let me know what you think by reviewing! :)

The next chapter is of equal length to this one and is called: 'Differences aside'. It will be the first chapter in my story (other than the beginning) where the events that occur are purely of my creation and were not talked of at all in canon (though still in line with the events in canon). So I really hope you enjoy it! Until then, happy reading and stay safe! Please remember to review! Thank you so much!


	23. Chapter 22 Differences aside

Authors's note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed on the previous chapter! I love you guys and I am so glad you are enjoying 'Trust me' so much :)

So this chapter is same length as the previous one and is equal first as the longest chapter in my story. We see two new perspectives in this chapter (Alice's and Billy's), so I hope you enjoy it! I am sure you will quickly pick up where the beginning of this chapter takes off. However, Billy's POV and the events that occur are purely my invention; I am excited and nervous at the same time as to what you will think! So please, please remember to review when you're done! Happy reading!

Reply to reviews:

Nicky1992: I'm so glad you wanted to help Jake out when he was telling the pack his news! That's what I was aiming for- for the reader to really feel for him. And yeah, I know, I didn't want to make Sam too much of a jerk, but sadly he needed to be to create the interesting Jake/Edward scene afterwards :P I hope you enjoy this chapter! And thanks for reviewing!

pudget12: Thanks so much for your review! I replied to it via a PM, did you receive it? I hope you enjoy this chapter!

: As I said in my PM to you (did you receive it?) yes, Jake does cry quite a bit in my story. And this chapter is no exception :P

Eruhin: I always love reading your reviews. I am so glad the previous chapter was one of your favourites! Sorry to make Sam the bad guy, I don't like it either, but I am delighted that you nevertheless felt I wrote him well enough that it wasn't overdone. And I am glad you agree that the argument that occurred between him and Jake wasn't too crazy; it was understandable. And I am very glad you are happy with anything occurring as long as it leads to an emotional scene! Yay! I love your description of Jake and Edward's relationship; you are so right, they are very close in a unique and interesting sort of way- their relationship is unlike any other :) So glad to have 'melted' you :P Haha, I am glad I am so convincing, this will work well for me as a writer! Lol. But seriously, thank you, I am very happy you agree with what Jake said about his life and his getting used to Edward's scent. Yeah I loved writing Jake's line: "because I'm special", I chuckled to myself when I did it. And finally, I am thrilled that you like the fact that 'Trust me' is two chapters longer than I intended. This was due to a side plotline I thought of about a week ago and I knew I had to add it in. I will go into more detail about this when it pops up in the story (ie. Chapter 26). I hope you enjoy this chapter! I can't wait to read your review! And thank you, as always, for the amazing reviews you leave me!

Yoda11: Thanks so much for your review! I haven't heard from you in a while! Yeah, poor Jake :( But this chapter will make things a bit better for him ; ) Glad you enjoyed the chapter anyway, especially Jake's conversation with Edward!

Trust me

Chapter 22- Differences aside

Alice's POV

"Alice! Alice, slow down!" Jasper called after me as I dragged him by the hand towards La Push.

"We can't slow down Jazz. I will explain everything to you once we are off the continent," I shouted behind my shoulder.

"But why-"

"When they notice we've left, they will follow our scents. If they catch us, you know they will try to convince us to stay, but they don't understand-"

"_I_ don't even understand," Jasper informed me somewhat impatiently, but he wasn't angry at me, just really worried about us... and our family.

"We need to find Sam so he can give my note to Carlisle- it doesn't explain much, but I hope our family will obey what I have written," I explained hurriedly to Jazz as we continued to sprint towards the boundary.

"Have you written the note?"

"Yes," I said firmly, the piece of paper tucked safely in my pocket.

"Is there a reason why you wrote it on a page from one of Bella's books?" he asked me skeptically.

"Yes, I am leaving a message behind for Bella."  
>"What kind of message?" Jasper asked hesitantly, and I knew he was concerned that I was keeping something a secret from Edward, which was exactly why I had left the clues for Bella; the only person Edward couldn't hear.<p>

"I am leaving her J. Jenk's contact details."

Jasper did not answer for some time. Eventually he squeezed my hand- he always did this to comfort himself.

"You think they will make it?" he asked me quietly, an ounce of hope in his voice.

"If my plan works-"

"If you've seen-"

"No, I haven't seen- that's the problem!" I said a little hysterically; I was not used to doing things so drastically without having seen it first.

"You cannot see them because they are half-breeds right?" Jasper confirmed. "Renesmee and Jacob, you think Bella will get IDs for them? Do you believe they can escape the Volturi?" he interrogated me.

I stared ahead of me, seeing the trees fly past, but not truly seeing them. I was thinking- no, hoping the future would turn out as I planned.

"I hope so Jazz."

"And the rest of our family?" Jasper pressed me, and I knew he felt as terrible as I did for leaving them.

When I told Jasper it was important to leave, he believed me instantly. And although he would trust me to the end of the Earth, I could not blame him for questioning whether it was worth abandoning our family during this terrible time.

"If my plan works, we will all survive. But Jazz," I emphasised, holding his hand tightly and turning to my left so I could look into his eyes. "They cannot know. They must believe we are doomed," I told him sadly.

Jasper scrutinized my face. "Why?" he whispered hoarsely; he didn't want our family to suffer any more than they had to, and of course, neither did I.

"If I told them my plan, Aro will know that there is hope for us and he will try to prevent my plan from happening. I am using the element of surprise. That is why only Bella can know and even then, I am not certain she will figure it out…" I trailed off, hoping that Bella would understand my hints.

"Alice, you need to tell me what you are planning," Jasper insisted, running along side me now as he tried to capture my gaze with his own.

I sighed, hoping he would see the benefits rather than the risks of my scheme.

"I will give Sam a note from me. It will say that we have left. I have reminded them that they must seek out as many nomads as they can. I know for certain that they will be vital to our survival."  
>"They will be devastated," Jazz said monotonously- like I needed reminding.<p>

"I know," I admitted, wishing desperately that there could have been another way. "But Carlisle will keep them together. If they hate us for leaving," I added, feeling completely miserable at the thought, "that is probably for the better. The Volturi cannot know that we plan to return."

"When can we return?" Jasper asked a hint of hope in his voice.

I shook my head. "I'm not sure. How long do you think it will take to find someone like Nessie?"

Jasper stared at me blankly.

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, Jazz! There has to be someone like Nessie out there. There has to be! If we can find such a person and bring them back to the Volturi, we can show them that Ness will never be a danger to our kind. With that amount of evidence, they could not justify attacking our family."

"They are the Volturi, Alice, they don't need a reason to kill," Jasper replied bitterly.

"Well, I feel differently," I told him stubbornly. "I know our family will make it if we can find someone who is half-human, half-vampire and present them before the Volturi. But the thing is: how am I supposed to find someone I can't _see_," I asked myself more so than Jasper.

"Stop!" Jasper hissed at me, holding out his arm in front of me to stop me from running. "We've reached the border," he explained more calmly.

I forced my mind back to the present and looked around me. Jasper was right; we were right on the Quileutte boundary line.

"Do you think they can smell-"

"Yes," Jasper whispered. "Sam is on his way. He's not happy," he warned me. I nodded my head. Ten seconds later, Sam, Paul, and Jared appeared in their wolf forms. Paul, the one on Sam's left was growling at us. But I ignored him to focus on Sam; he was the one I needed to speak with.

"Sam, we need permission to cross the boundary. Jasper and I must get to the ocean- there is little time," I told him seriously and quickly.

Sam gave a short bark, and then ran behind a tree to phase.

Returning in a pair of shorts, he stared into my eyes as if to determine how important it was that he let me pass.

"Please," I insisted, never taking my eyes off of his.

There was a pause during which he studied me, and then Jasper.

"Very well," he finally allowed, and then led the way towards La Push and the ocean.

"Thank you," I sighed with relief that he didn't put up more of a fight.

"Where is the rest of your family?" Sam demanded, his cronies following behind us, the large paws thundering on the ground.

"At home; they do not know we are here and I would appreciate it if you did not tell anyone you have seen us until you speak with Carlisle. That includes Jacob," I added.

Sam was silent for a moment. "I have not spoken to Jacob since he was here three months ago," he told me sounding indifferent to this fact.

"I would give that a second thought if I were you," Jasper suggested rather darkly. Sam turned to look at him, which Jazz took as an invitation to elaborate. "You hurt him deeply," Jasper said seriously, though even saying that was an understatement. "There is not much time. Reconcile with him before it is too late."

Sam stared at Jasper in shock, and then turned back to me pleading for an explanation I would not give.

"Ask Carlisle or Edward to explain," I insisted before Sam could enquire further. "We do not have time," I said hurriedly, seeing the water in the distance. "I want you to take this note and guard it with your life. When my family realizes we are not returning, they will follow our scent to the border. I beg you to please meet them there and give Carlisle this letter," I instructed, pushing the bit of paper into Sam's large hand. His fingers closed around it, but in doing so, he had slowed down to a walk which infuriated me. Time of was of great importance; I had no doubt that my family were following our scents at that very moment. They would try to stop us if they found us and I couldn't let that happen. We needed to make a clean break- the pain of leaving them was barely manageable, and would increase one hundred-fold if they caught us.

Reluctantly, I slowed down to stay in pace with Sam. I kept my eyes facing forward, but even as a vampire, my emotions and my guilt could not be hidden from him.

"Where are you going?" Sam demanded, realizing that we were not simply going on a holiday; we were abandoning our family. "By the way you are talking it sounds like danger is coming."

"It is," I told him hollowly.

"You are leaving your family?" Sam asked, his voice rose in outrage. I didn't blame him.

By this time, I couldn't look at him.

"Thank you for allowing us passage. Promise me you will deliver that note to Carlisle."

"I promise," Sam agreed, but I could tell by the hesitancy in his voice that he was wondering whether he should trust me.

Taking a deep breath, I turned my back on the wolves, Jasper's hand in mine. Together we sprinted to the beach, a sob escaping through my lips as we ran across the water, leaving our family behind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Billy's POV

It had been three months since I had seen my son. The day after he left, I wanted to visit him and apologise for the lack of support I had shown when he told us his news. But I decided to leave it be for a while, though I never intended to leave it for one month, let alone three. Quil had taken me for a drive to his mother's shop on the other side of La Push. He and Embry had been blue since Jacob stormed off and I knew they felt guilty for not sticking up for him or at least trying to get in contact with him. Time had flown by, and everyday I woke up thinking of my son, struggling to decide whether I should venture towards the Cullen's to see him. But each time I decided against it, the more I felt I had let him down by being too much of a coward to face him. Quil and Embry had told me that whenever I chose to see him, they would come with me. So after the council meeting yesterday I knew I had to see my son as soon as possible.

"I wonder how Jacob is," Quil said out of the blue once he had buckled me in.

I shook my head. "I have no idea. Charlie said he visited the Cullens the other day and saw Jake whilst he was there. I asked him for more information, but he did not elaborate… Charlie has been really strange since then actually," I realised, wondering if something happened at the Cullens that Charlie didn't want to talk about. After all, if Charlie saw Bella (which he said he had) he would have surely realized that she looked noticeably different. Never before had I wanted so many answers; I felt so cut off from the world my son was living in.

"I wonder if he knows more than Sam does about the battle that's coming. What did the Cullens even do?" Quil wondered out loud, thinking back to Sam's meeting the previous night. Alice and Jasper had left- ran across the ocean to God knows where. Edward told Sam that what was coming was dangerous- that the Quileuttes should not get involved. Death was a real possibility. So it shocked me when Sam told us that Alice and Jasper had abandoned their family. Although I didn't know them well, somehow I couldn't believe they would desert their family in the face of battle, especially Jasper. Quil's reminder rekindled my desire from the previous night to see my son. I needed to see Jake- to make sure he was okay. I could not allow this battle to come without making amends with him.

"Quil-"

"On it," he interrupted me as he pulled over and turned his truck around in the direction of the Cullen's place.

"How did you…" I began to ask.

"You're worried about Jake- so am I and I think Sam is too even though he won't admit it."

"Did you want to get in touch with Embry? I am sure he would like to join us," I suggested, knowing that Embry missed Jake just as much as Quil did.

Quil's face lit up- I had the feeling he thought only I was going to visit Jake and he was going to stay in the car and wait. Of course, such a possibility was unthinkable to me; I knew they had as much right and desire to see Jake as I did.

"What's Embry's number, I'll give him a call," I offered, picking up my mobile phone from the dash board. Quil recited the number and on the second ring, Embry picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi Embry, it's Billy."

"Oh hi, Billy. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," I told him, smiling a little in anticipation of seeing Jake again. "I'm just calling to let you know that Quil and I are heading to the Cullen's."

"Really?" Embry cut in, sounding more excited than I thought he would.

"Yes. If you want you can meet us there. You will probably beat us if you run in your wolf form," I added as an afterthought. "But stay a couple of miles from their place; they don't know we are coming."

"Do you want me to call Jake before I leave? It's a bit early."

I hesitated as I looked at the dash. It was twenty to seven in the morning. I consoled myself that even if Jake was asleep, someone in the household would be awake given vampires never slept. I wondered what Jacob would say if we did call. It had been so long I was afraid Jacob would turn me down or suggest some other time. But we were already headed there, and it's not like we could surprise them anyway given Edward's gift.

"No, that's okay Embry. I hope we will be a welcomed surprise. Oh and before you go, don't forget Seth and Leah will be patrolling, so make yourself known to them."

"Yep, see you soon Billy!"

It felt strange driving into the Cullen's property uninvited. Their large white house stood out against the greenery of the grass and trees. Quil slowed down the truck, unsure where to park or what to do; they must have heard us by now. A wolf howled in the distance. Quil and I looked at one another uneasy; that was not Embry's howl.

"Pull up over here," I suggested, pointing to an oak tree that would provide the truck with some shade.

Once the engine was turned off, Quil and I sat there in silence.

"Think Embry is here yet?" Quil asked me looking around, his eyes wide as he searched for his friend as well as any sign of who howled and why. Perhaps it was a warning for Jacob?

"It is possible," I told him. "If you help me out of the car, I can go to the door while you look for Embry. If we're not welcome," I paused, hoping that Jake would have forgiven us by now, "I'll wheel myself back to the car."

Quil nodded his understanding, then leapt out of the car and ran around to lift me and my wheelchair out.

"Thanks," I muttered, wheeling myself towards the Cullen's door.

"See you soon," Quil said optimistically as he ran into the forest. I watched after him feeling a little nervous being by myself. As long as Jake was home, I would be safe…

I had to push myself a few strides along the pathway before I could see the back door. Jacob was walking out, taking off his shirt as he did so. He was about to phase; the howl was directed at him from either Seth or Leah.

"Jacob!" I said loudly, hoping I could distract him long enough to tell him that the howl was probably in response to Embry.

Jacob halted in his tracks, his head turned in my direction. At once, I saw both anger and sadness appear on his features, but not confusion or surprise. The Cullens must know we're here.

"Edward said Embry is here," Jacob told me in a harsh tone as if I were his enemy rather than his father. "Is he here?" he wanted to confirm with me.  
>"Yes, Quil just went to find him."<p>

"Right, well Seth and Leah know not to attack our previous pack members so they probably haven't hurt each other," Jacob said indifferently, then made to go back inside.

"Jacob," I persisted, wheeling myself as close to my son as I dared.

"What?" he snapped at me, hurt and perhaps fear in his eyes now.

"We came to visit you," I informed him gently and a little awkwardly, understanding that we had not been invited.

"Really? For the last three months I was getting used to the idea that my father had forgotten he had a son," he replied scathingly as he stormed up the stairs and wrenched open the door.

"Jacob, please! Allow me the chance to explain. Embry and Quil have been looking forward to seeing you, and so have I."

Jacob spun on his heel. I was expecting him to come back down and yell at me some more; goodness knows I deserved it. But he didn't. Instead, he stared at me, his eyes tight with worry.

"You need to go Dad," he told me quietly, unable to meet my gaze. Before I could reply, Edward opened the screen door, and stood silently on the door step.

Jacob turned to look at Edward. I tilted my head between the two of them trying to work out what was going on. During their silence, Quil and Embry were running in human form towards us. Edward stopped focusing on my son to acknowledge the presence of Jake's friends. Edward nodded courteously at them. They returned the gesture, looking as confused as I was.

"They can't stay," Jake hissed at Edward.

"We have two hours before we are expecting the Denalis. We have time," Edward reassured my son. I was surprised to realize then that Edward was there to support my visit.

"What if you're wrong?" Jake demanded, his hands clenched into fists.

Edward placed his hand on Jake's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"I will hear their thoughts, which will give us some warning. Seth and Leah will also be able to warn us in enough time. They are our closest-"

Jacob didn't answer verbally, but his thoughts must have interrupted Edward's speech. After a moment, he replied:

"They will not harm any of us." Edward looked seriously at me then. I couldn't read his expression, but I had the sense that we were an inconvenience to him and his family.

Jacob looked about ready to protest when Edward put up his hand indicating Jake should stop.

"They are your family," Edward insisted, gesturing towards myself, Quil and Embry. "We have time. In fact, had they come any later, you would not be able to introduce them to Renesmee until after-"

Jacob was shaking his head. There was pain there, in his eyes, in his gait. Something was bothering him and Edward too.

"Jake, please," I begged of my son.

Jake turned around to stare between the three of us.

"Is Bella okay?" Jacob asked Edward, not taking his gaze off of us.

"She and Renesmee are in the living room. Both of them fed yesterday," he said more delicately, "so there should not be a problem. Renesmee is very excited to meet your father," Edward said with a slight smile.

I couldn't help but smile when I heard this. Even though I hadn't met the girl, I was glad that she seemed to care for Jacob enough to want to get to know me despite the rough patch we've had the last few months.

Jacob sighed, and I could tell that his imprint's desire to meet me had definitely influenced his decision.

"Okay," he said hesitantly, and then stared rather aggressively at Edward.

"I promise," Edward agreed to Jacob's silent request. It annoyed me a little that I couldn't hear what Jake had asked. Edward's gift was certainly useful for keeping secrets.

Jacob nodded, apparently in assent.

This was Edward's signal to begin his duty as host. He turned to myself, Quil, and Embry and walked down a couple of stairs so he was the same height as Quil and Embry.

"Thank you for coming to visit us," Edward said courteously. "I am sorry for the secrecy Jacob and I have displayed. I can see in your minds that you understand roughly what is happening for my family at the moment. We will discuss this in more detail later. Before you do enter, however, I would like to have a few words."

Jake left Edward to continue talking; I saw him walk into the living room, presumably to be with Renesmee.

"As you know, Bella is now a vampire. She is a newborn still, with the strength of those we fought against last year," Edward explained, looking specifically at Quil and Embry, who nodded tensely. "Having said that," Edward continued, his voice a little louder, "she has far exceeded any of our expectations and has been able to control her thirst with impressive ability. As you know," Edward said, looking at me now, "Charlie has visited us a few times, and she has been able to hug him, with difficulty, but without ever being dangerously tempted. Bella does not have contact lenses in at the moment, so her eyes are bright red. Other than that, she of course knows who you are and will not hurt you. Renesmee also thirsts for blood," Edward explained as if this was something completely normal, "but she understands she is not to bite you. In fact, Renesmee has already planned to use her gift on all three of you," Edward asserted rather fondly. "It will not hurt, but you will only be able to see what she wants you to see. I can tell her not to use her gift if you would prefer?" Edward offered.

"I'm cool with it," Embry said, clearly looking forward to seeing what Renesmee wanted to show him.

"Me too," Quil agreed enthusiastically.

"I am interested to experience her gift," I replied honestly.

Edward nodded. "Then please come in."

Quil lifted my wheelchair up the stairs- not a difficult thing for him to do. Embry then followed, and Edward came up behind us and closed the back door. The moment I entered the Cullen's, the first thing I noticed was the lack of activity inside; last time I was here, Carlisle had welcomed me in the hallway, Esme was cooking, and the television was blaring where Edward's 'siblings' were watching television. But now, all I could hear was quiet talking from the room next door. Slowly, we moved towards the sound of Jake's voice. I began to feel very nervous; I wanted Renesmee to like me and I was apprehensive to see the vampire version of Bella Swan, who I have known since she was a little girl. It was strange to me that she would never age again.

"Renesmee, you need to wait Sweetie," said a beautiful female voice I never heard before. When I strained my ears I could hear a little child making what sounded like a huge effort to reach something she wanted.

"Come here, Ness," Jake compromised. "That's okay, right?" he then asked as if suddenly remembering that it wasn't up to him to negate what the unique sounding woman had said.

"Of course, Jake," the woman encouraged and then I realised with amazement that it was Bella.

When my wheelchair was finally pushed around the corner, I froze at the sight before me.

An unworldly beautiful, though very pale Bella was standing towards the back of the room. Her eyes were a terrifying red, but her smile was warm and welcoming. I could tell she was happy to see me. In front of her and slightly to the left was my son who was carrying a child in his arms. She had such a unique appearance about her I could barely describe it in words. Although I knew she had only been on this earth for three months, she looked more like a two year old. Her hair was the extraordinary bronze of her father's and her eyes were the exact tone her mother's used to be before she became a vampire. I was captivated by her, but afraid too; she was not at all what I was expecting. Quil, Embry, and Edward stayed behind me. While Edward was probably highly amused by all of our reactions, Renesmee's included, Quil and Embry seemed as lost as I was.

In the end, Bella walked slowly forward, for my sake rather than hers. When she reached me, I stared up at her in shock.

"Hi Billy, Quil, Embry," she greeted us, her smile still clear on her face.

"Hey Bella," Quil and Embry replied simultaneously, clearly finding it hard to comprehend that it was Bella Swan, or rather Bella Cullen, who was standing in front us.

"I'm so glad you've come," she continued and then bent down to give me the usual one armed hug and kiss on the cheek that she has always done since she was a little girl. "

"Hello, Bella," I replied, unable to keep the awe out of my tone.

She pulled away from me. "I hope I don't look too terrible to you?" she asked me, as if she were fearful of my judgment of her.

"You look- you look better than I was expecting," I told her honestly. Bella seemed happy with this, and then pushed me towards Jake and Renesmee.

Jacob squatted down in front of my wheelchair, Renesmee in his arms.

"Nessie, this is my dad. Dad, this is Nessie," Jacob introduced us.

Renesmee stared at me with great interest. All eyes were on her, waiting for her to react. But after a few seconds, she looked past my head. I wondered who she was looking at. My answer came almost immediately.

"Jacob's father is a human like Grandpa Charlie," Edward explained to his daughter. "That's why he smells nice. But he, and Quil and Embry, are Jacob's family so we cannot hurt them, okay?"

"Okay," Renesmee replied in a voice with the singsong quality of her mother's. I stared avidly at her. She must have thought I had lost my mind, but I could not help my surprise; she could talk?

Edward chuckled behind me and added. "You may show them your gift, they know what we are."

Now it was Renesmee's turn to look at me with surprise and I knew she expected all humans to be ignorant of the extraordinary creatures we live amongst.

Renesmee then turned around in Jake's arms and touched his neck with her palm. Jake's gaze went blank for a moment, his lips turned down slightly. Renesmee must be showing him something with her gift.

"Sure, you can sit on my dad's lap," Jake said, though he did not sound as jovial as I would have expected. Jacob then lifted his imprint onto my legs. I held out my arms in welcome. Without fear or reservation, Renesmee sat happily on my right thigh, turned sideways slightly so she could see my face. The girl was captivating.

"Hi Billy," she said cheerfully bouncing a little in my arms with sheer happiness.

"Hello Renesmee, I am very happy to finally meet you."

She returned my words with a stunning smile, and then reached up towards my face.

I automatically leaned forward so she could reach my skin. I gasped when she made contact; I barely noticed that her skin was almost as warm as Jacob's.

I saw myself as Renesmee saw me the first time I pushed myself into the room. Jacob was correct; it was truly puzzling to see yourself from another person's perspective.

_Why aren't you walking?_

She then removed her hand, her big brown eyes staring up at me with inquisitive interest.

"My legs don't work," I explained to her.

"Why?" she asked looking down as if wondering why perfectly good legs couldn't move.

"I have an illness called diabetes. Have you heard of it?" I asked her.

She shook her head, her lips in a frown. I could tell she was trying hard to understand.

"Well the diabetes damaged the nerves in my legs," I told her, simplifying my history.

"I cannot feel my legs, so I cannot walk," I explained further; I was interested to see whether she could understand what I was saying.

Renesmee's eyebrows were knitted in concentration. She then slowly leaned to her right, my hands firmly on her waist so she wouldn't topple over. I watched as she poked my leg, then looked up at me immediately, waiting to see if I would react to being touched.  
>"Did you feel that?" she asked innocently. I couldn't help but smile at the way she experimented and tested the 'facts' she was told. Her intelligence was incredible.<p>

"No Renesmee."

Her face screwed up then, lost in thought.

"Grandpa Carlisle might help?" Renesmee suggested hesitantly, and then looked past my head towards her father for an answer. Edward didn't say anything, so I answered her.  
>"No my dear, Grandpa Carlisle cannot help me," I gently told her, for I can tell she was a little upset that I couldn't walk like she, Jake and her family could. "I will never be able to walk again."<p>

Renesmee's mouth dropped open slightly as if about to protest 'never say never', but then pressed her lips together in determination as she reached up to touch my face again.

But this time, it wasn't an image of me I saw, but one of Jacob. He was looking at Renesmee. His eyes were puffy and red, and his face looked conflicted. I felt terrible. This must have occurred after Jake's less than enjoyable trip to La Push. I was saddened to discover I was right.

"I went to see my dad. Hopefully you will get to meet him one day," Jake said in Renesmee's memory.

The little one pulled her hand away from my skin, and then stared at me, clearly wanting answers.

"I'm sorry it has taken so long, Renesmee. But I'm very happy to meet you now."

Renesmee nodded her head; I had the feeling she was glad to see me too. All of her white teeth were showing as she beamed at me. She then turned around and saw Jake standing nearby- he was smiling too. She then looked back at me, a little wrinkle between her eyes forming as she concentrated. For the third time that day, Renesmee beckoned me to bend down so she could use her gift once more.

Again, I saw myself, but closer up this time. Then her focus changed to Jacob's face, then mine, then Jake's again. I could tell she was comparing our features. She then showed me an image of herself in a photo standing next to her mother and father. She then reminded me of my appearance again and then focused on my hair colour.

"Same as Jake's," she said as if this was an amazing discovery she had made. I smiled broadly and replied: "Yes, Jake has my hair colour," I congratulated her.

Renesmee still had her hand to my face. She then focused on my chin and jaw line, then showed me an image of Jake's face, with an identical jaw line.

"Well done, Renesmee," I praised her again. "Jake has my jaw line too. You are very clever." I then took this moment to look into Jacob's face and was touched to see he had tears in his eyes. Renesmee noticed my distraction and swiveled around on my lap to look in the direction I was.

Upon seeing Jake's happy, though tearful eyes, she immediately held out her arms to him.

Jake let out a small chuckle, and then lifted Renesmee off my lap. Bella had her arm around Jake's shoulders; she was smiling too.

"She has an amazing gift," I acknowledged to my son. "Almost like the opposite of yours," I asserted, turning momentarily to look at Edward, who nodded.

"I agree."

"You were right; it is very strange to see yourself from her perspective," I commented, turning back to my son in time to see Renesmee reaching for Jacob's neck as she looked between me and Jake. When she finally made contact, a broad grin quickly developed on my son's face.

"You are on a roll aren't you, Ness?" he teased, tickling her belly. "I inherited my dad's eyes too."

"She is very advanced for her age. It's amazing," I commended her, and by extension Bella and Edward.

As Jacob watched Renesmee, I realised how happy he was. I had never seen my son so content and so at peace with life.

"She_ is_ amazing. I reckon she's smarter than me," Jacob whispered fondly unable to take his eyes off her.

But while myself and my son were captivated by her mental abilities, Renesmee was already interested in meeting Quil and Embry. Sensing this, Jacob walked toward his friends, who he hadn't even spoken to since they arrived. I spun my chair around so I could see how the boys reacted to her, and she them. Bella rested her ice cold hands on my shoulders as the two of us watched.

Jacob stared at Quil and Embry in silence for a moment. He then held out his right hand to Quil, who took it in his immediately and shook it. Embry did the same.

"Thank you for letting us come in," Embry said to Jake, though couldn't keep his attention off Renesmee, who seemed insistent on slapping Jacob's face.

"What is it?" Jake asked with a laugh as he held Renesmee's hand to his face so she could say what she wanted to say.

"No, they are not my brothers; my dad is not their dad. But you are right, I do call them my brothers, sorry it's a little confusing," he apologized. Again, Jake paused while Renesmee showed him something.

"They do look a little like me don't they?" Jake said fondly, looking at his two best friends. "And we are similar in lots of ways. These are my best friends, Quil and Embry."

Renesmee waved. "Hi!"

"Hey, Renesmee. She's so cute, Jake," Quil told him seriously and I could tell that like me, he was surprised by her unique appearance.

"I know. Hear that Nessie? Quil says you're cute!"

But Renesmee, we soon discovered, was not really interested in the compliment; she was focused on something else.

"Very tall, like you," Renesmee commented, pointing at Embry and Quil.

"It's not nice to point, remember Ness?" Edward prompted. Immediately, Renesmee lowered her hand, but her eyes never moved off Jacob's.

"They are very tall, because they're wolves like me."

This excited Renesmee greatly. She immediately began wriggling in Jacob's arms, eager to reach Quil who was closest to her.

As if by instinct rather than a conscious decision, Quil held out his arms and Jacob handed Renesmee over.

It was now Quil's turn to experience Renesmee's gift.

"Woah!" He exclaimed when he allowed Renesmee to touch his face. A moment later, he laughed. "Jake, she's showing me what happened the first time she saw you phase!"

Jacob chuckled. "She loves showing people that memory; it was an exciting day for her."

"I bet," Embry contributed, clearly dying to see the memory too.

Once Renesmee had finished showing Quil her special memory, he commented: "I hope I will have the opportunity to phase for Claire some day." Jacob nodded, a small smile on his face.

"Can I see your memory?" Embry asked politely.

"Yes," Renesmee insisted. Before she had to ask, Quil had already passed her into Embry's arms. Quil and Jake then whispered quietly to each other whilst watching Embry's experience of Renesmee's gift.

"Cool," Embry said, clearly impressed with Renesmee's gift. "Ha! It was like a magic trick."

"Yeah, it sorta was," Jake acknowledged, and I could see by the look in his eyes that he loved remembering the moment too- the first time Renesmee saw him phase- saw the other side of him. I knew without having to ask that Renesmee accepted that part of him without question, once she understood what was happening of course.

"Can you show Billy?" Embry asked Renesmee when the memory ended.

Renesmee nodded enthusiastically, so Jacob picked her up and placed her gently on my lap again.

I held the little girl to my chest so she could more easily touch my face.

When she did, I saw Edward, what appeared like his entire family, and Jacob standing outside. Without actually seeing it, I knew that Bella was holding Renesmee.

"I'll be back in a second Nessie. Watch carefully!" Jacob yelled out to Renesmee as he ran into the woods. My attention was immediately captured. I was very interested in what I was seeing and I knew that in part came from Renesmee as if she could make me feel how she was feeling in that moment.

One minute later, Jacob reappeared in his large, reddish brown wolf form, though of course, Renesmee did not realize this.

I saw Bella's face as Renesmee turned around. Bella was smiling encouragingly, but Renesmee felt worried and a little scared. _Where's Jake?_

"It's okay," Bella sang, turning Renesmee around so she could look at Jacob again. "He's not going to hurt us."

Jacob started walking towards Renesmee, but she moved away, pushing herself into Bella's chest. Jacob paused, his eyes uncertain what to do; he didn't want to scare her. Jake then turned towards Edward and his family.

"Phase again; she will get it soon," Edward suggested. Renesmee didn't understand why her father was speaking to a large dog, but became immediately interested in Jacob again when she noticed him nod his head.

A little gasp left her mouth and Bella laughed musically, bouncing her up and down while they waited for the human Jake to return.

When he did, Renesmee felt happy to see him and recognized him immediately. The joy she felt at this part of the memory was a pleasure to experience. It was as if nothing could make her happier than to see her friend after seeing a big, scary wolf.

"Hi Nessie!" Jake waved enthusiastically from a few meters away. "A little scared of me were you?" he teased as he walked up to her.

Renesmee was confused by what Jake had said. Jake saw this and decided that confusion was a good sign.

"Okay Ness, watch me again," he encouraged, slowly walking backwards. "Now you see me as a human…" and then as fast as he could, Jake ran behind the tree again.

Instinctively Renesmee reached out ahead of her as if trying to grab him before he disappeared. Bella comforted Renesmee as she let out a whimper of distress. But Jake didn't keep her waiting long and reappeared seconds later as a wolf.

"And now Jake is a wolf," Bella announced to her daughter as if this were a magic show and she was teaching her how to do the tricks. Renesmee turned to her mother again, still feeling skeptical.

"Show me," she asked of her mother. Bella smiled, and then together she and the Cullens walked up to Jake, who stood perfectly still, though his teeth were bared. Renesmee probably found this frightening, but everyone else, including myself knew he was smiling.

"You want to pat him?" Bella asked, now that they were only feet away.

Renesmee looked to her father this time, who nodded his head smiling.

"It will be fine, Darling."

Renesmee cautiously leant out of Bella's arms, her family watching silently. When she made contact with Jake's fur and began to pat him, Jake purred in contentment.

"He likes it?" Renemee asked, not quite sure if she was right.

"He sure does," Alice replied cheerfully, as she skipped forward and began patting Jacob too.

Bella bent her knees so Renesmee could get close enough to smell Jake's fur. Again, Renesmee leant forward and gently pressed her face into Jake's coat. Immediately, she recognized Jacob's scent. Her memory and her feelings were suddenly coloured with her excitement.

"Jake!" she exclaimed in sheer delight. Jacob beamed at her and barked in reply.

Renesmee clapped her hands excitedly; she loved the little show Jacob had performed for her.

"Can I sit?" she asked her parents, pointing to Jacob's back.

"Of course, just remember to hold onto Jake's fur really tight," Bella answered as she placed her daughter in between my son's shoulder blades.

"Okay," Renesmee promised as she grabbed on to a chunk of Jake's fur at the back of his neck. "Go!" she shouted. At her command, Jacob walked- well trotted around the yard.

"Weeee!" Renesmee squealed in glee.

"This is so cute!" Esme gushed, her arms around her husband.

"I am happy she worked it out, I was beginning to wonder if she was too young," Carlisle admitted.

"Well," Edward commented, amusement filling his tone, "she understands the wolf is Jacob, but it will be interesting to explain why and exactly how he can change between the two forms."

Renesmee heard this from a distance, but it didn't bother her; she was having too much fun riding around the yard on her friend's back.

Then the image was gone, and I could see Renesmee sitting on my lap again.

"Jake is a wolf!" she told me proudly.

"Yes, well done Renesmee!" I congratulated her.

"Now there are three wolves," she indicated to me, pointing towards Jacob, then Quil and Embry.

"Umm, what about Seth and Leah?" Quil ventured.

"Yes, Seth and Leah too!" Renesmee asserted, as if this reminder excited her rather than embarrassed her that she'd forgotten them.

"There's lots more of us," Embry told her. Seeing the shocked look on her face, he quickly added: "But you probably won't get to meet them for a while."

This seemed to disappoint her a little, but it didn't phase her for long. Soon she wanted to be held by Quil again, no doubt to show him another memory.

I felt Renesmee being lifted off me, my legs feeling significantly cooler without her there, but my attention was now focused on the house. It was very quiet. Surely the rest of the Cullens weren't all out hunting at the same time?

I looked at Edward to see if he had heard my thoughts.

He was watching me, a significant look on his features, but he didn't elaborate with words. I got the sense that there was more to the story, but it would have to wait. So I began thinking about Renesmee; she was so quick to realize the wolf was Jacob, and it was his scent that gave him away. Clearly she has formed a strong attachment to him. She was so warm like Jacob; a mix of two species. Perhaps they weren't so different after all. I was clearly wrong to judge her and wrong to worry. No matter what was in her future, it was clear to me that Jacob would always be there for her, and that she would want him with her. In the end that was all that mattered: love.

While I was pondering the above, I had missed an almost one sided conversation that was occurring between Renesmee and Edward.

"Renesmee, I know you want to show them that memory, but Jacob, Quil, and Embry may not like it."

I turned to watch Renesmee's reaction. She was pouting in sadness but also in confusion as if wondering how her question could offend anyone.

"Your questions may make them uncomfortable," Edward rectified.

"They won't answer?" she asked uncertainly, looking between her father and Quil who was now holding her.

"I'm sure they will, but it is not polite," Edward insisted gently.

"It's okay, Edward. She can ask us," Quil offered, and I could tell he was just glad that Renesmee wanted to get to know him and Embry.

Edward eyed Embry and Quil cautiously, probably to suss out their thoughts. I turned towards Jake and could tell that he was becoming frustrated that he didn't know what was happening, especially as Edward hinted he may not approve.

"Okay Ness," Edward permitted, but by the way he looked at her, I could see he was silently telling his daughter to be careful.

Spinning around to face Quil, Renesmee put her hand to his cheek.

I watched Quil's expression eagerly as was everyone else, waiting for his reaction. Quil bit his lip and frowned as he saw the images Renesmee wanted him to see. The moment Renesmee moved her hand, Quil immediately began talking, but the little one in his arms put her finger to his lips.

"Wait please," she requested, then reached out to Embry, undoubtedly to show him the same memory.

Embry looked uncertainly at Quil before holding his arms out to Renesmee.

Quil gave a single, however serious nod. Embry took Renesmee into his arms and watched her memory. He did not bite his lip like Quil, the only change in him was that he looked a little pale, his face almost frozen in guilt.

When Renesmee was finished, she pulled away from Embry so she could see his face.

Quil and Embry glanced at each other, and then simultaneously their eyes flitted towards Jake.

"Jake is our best friend," Embry told Renesmee and I could tell he was trying to focus solely on her. Quil on the other hand was watching Jake's reaction. "He has been since we were kids. He needed us but we weren't there for him. That would be why he wasn't happy when he knew we were coming," Embry finished slowly, chancing a brief look at Jacob who was staring at them with a blank look on his face. "It took us three months to finally come and see you," Embry admitted guiltily.

"Why?" Renesmee asked, feeling confused.

"Jake came over to tell us he made a new friend- you!" Quil continued for Embry, as the latter bounced Renesmee in his arms. "But we don't normally hang out with- with vampires like your Mommy and Daddy, so we were a little scared-"

"We're not dangerous," Renesmee pointed out as if trying to prove the fact by being as cute as possible- it worked for me.

"We know that now, Renesmee," Quil tried to cover; he really didn't want to offend her, Edward or Bella. "Now that we've met you we can see you are very cool."

"Jake told us you weren't dangerous and we should have believed him," Embry finished, looking at Jacob now who seemed at lost for words.

"We're sorry Jake," Quil tried to reconcile taking a couple of steps forward, his hand outstretched.

"Yeah, sorry mate. Sam- all of us were wrong. We should have trusted you," Embry seconded.

Jake paused for a moment, before taking Quil's hand and shaking it, followed by a one-armed slap on the back. Renesmee held out her arms to Jake, who took her swiftly, rested her on his hip to shake Embry's hand. I was very happy to see the three boys make up. They have been best friends since they were toddlers. It was impossible to conceive their friendship over, but thankfully it was on the repair.

Jake then turned to me and bent down a little so we could see eye to eye.

"I can see how content you are, Jake. I wish I had believed you when you said you were happy. Your future will be a beautiful one and I will always be here for you. I'm only sorry I wasn't there from the very beginning."

Jake gave me a tearful smile and kissed the top of my head while I clapped him on the shoulder.

"Thanks Dad, means a lot," he whispered in my ear. Then he stood up, Renesmee on his left hip.

"Um Jake, it's time to-" Jake's head flipped towards the clock which said 8 o'clock, we had been there for an hour already.

"Yep, okay," he acknowledged, immediately passing Renesmee to her mother. "We need to measure Renesmee to see how much she has grown in the last couple of hours. We're trying to keep track. We'll be back soon," he explained to us, then followed Bella upstairs.

This left us with Edward, who suggested that Embry and Quil sit down on the lounge in front of the television, though did not make to turn it on. With the three of us in a line, Edward sat opposite us, holding himself in a rather professional way and I could tell that my unanswered questions were about to be answered. By the way Edward was looking at me, I knew I would not like what he was about to say.

"I believe you all know some of the story I am about to tell. Perhaps this is why you decided to visit Jacob?" Edward asked.

"Yes, Sam called a meeting last night to discuss what happened with your family, Alice and Jasper, right?"

Edward nodded his eyes tight and I could tell he missed them already.

"Sam told us they left. A battle is coming and you told Sam not to be a part of it," I summarized quickly, hoping that Edward would be able to give us more details.

"As it stands at the moment, we will not win," Edward told us seriously.

"I cannot believe they turned their backs on you," I impressed upon Edward however sympathetically. "It sounds like you could use their help."

His face was hard and full of hurt, but he didn't answer me. Instead he continued in a business-like manner.

"Having said this, I know that Sam was, as of yesterday morning, insistent on involving his pack in our situation. Do you know if this is still his intention?" Edward asked us.

"Yes," Quil said with certainty. "During the meeting last night he told us that when we are needed, we will be there to stand against whoever is coming…" Quil trailed off a little uncertain exactly who _was_ coming because Sam wasn't sure himself.

"Does he have any intention of reconciling with Jacob, or is that why you are here?" Edward inquired further.

Embry's eyes narrowed, his fists clenched as he answered passionately.

"Jacob has always been our best friend. We are here because we wanted to patch things up before it's too late. Sam will seek Jacob's forgiveness on his own. We do not expect Jake to forgive him just because he has forgiven us."

"Of course, forgive me," Edward acknowledged, holding up his hands defensively.

"I merely ask because if we are going to work on the same side, everyone needs to be supportive of Renesmee; it is her we are ultimately protecting. If Sam cannot accept that, then I do not want his mind present at the battle," Edward insisted, imparting on us however indirectly that he did not want Sam's negative judgments infiltrating his mind at such a vital moment.

"We'll make sure Sam and Jacob talk before then," Quil promised, Embry nodded in agreement. "But when, I'm not sure. Sounds like you are expecting visitors?" Quil continued, not wanting to pry.

"Yes, the Denali coven is due to arrive at 9 o'clock this morning. They were present at mine and Bella's wedding."

"Ah, yes, I remember them," I recalled, as I saw in my mind the four very beautiful creatures walking around the ceremony.

"Yes, that is them," Edward acknowledged, confirming my memory as accurate. "Normally I would have no issues with you being present when they arrive for they are vegetarian vampires like my family. However, their visit has a purpose, and I do not know how it will end."

"Why are they visiting? Are they preparing for the battle that's coming?" I enquired.

"At the moment, they don't know anything of it," Edward sighed.

"So you plan to tell them when they arrive?"

"Yes, but in doing so we will need to introduce them to Renesmee. I do not know how they will react to seeing her, which is why Jacob was reluctant for you to stay," he explained, though he wasn't making much sense to me; why would vampires have a problem with Renesmee? Apparently Embry and Quil were thinking along similar lines, as Edward was turning his attention between the three of us before answering our puzzled looks.

"Allow me to explain. The Denalis have been our friends for over one hundred years and we consider one another cousins. One of my cousins is upset with us, because we did not punish the werewolves," Edward paused here to look distinctively at Embry and Quil, "for killing her mate- the vampire the wolves killed a couple of years ago because he was about to kill Bella. Do you remember him?" Edward asked the boys.

"Yeah, dreadlocks, dark skin," Embry described.

"Correct. Naturally we were only thankful that you were there to save Bella, so were in no way inclined to punish you. Unfortunately, this particular cousin didn't see it that way. She decided to pay us an unexpected visit. Jacob, Bella and Renesmee were hunting together in the forests that surround this place. She saw them- saw Jacob in his wolf form getting along with a vampire as well as a child who was clearly not completely human. When she saw Renesmee she thought my daughter was in fact a human girl who Carlisle had bit, ultimately turning her into a vampire. One thing you need to understand is that when vampires are created, we no longer grow or develop and that includes our mental faculties. Hence, turning a young child into a vampire is illegal because their brains are unable to comprehend the need for secrecy and control when it comes to hunting humans. Based on her observations, my cousin thought Carlisle had done something illegal, so she reported it to the Volturi, who are the royal family of the vampire world."

Edward paused mid-explanation when Renesmee, Jacob, and Bella re-entered the room. Bella sat next to Edward and placed her hand on his knee. Renesmee sat in Jake's lap, who placed himself on the arm of the couch.

"The Volturi are very powerful vampires," Edward continued, "and they have very capable and dangerous offensive guards and some more powerful than the leaders themselves. All together there are about 40 members. Their leader, Aro collects vampires with unique gifts. He has known Carlisle for some time, for Carlisle was once a member of the Volturi but left when he felt his views regarding the preservation of humanity were too great to live peacefully amongst human blood-drinking vampires. Aro later discovered that among Carlisle's new coven were myself and Alice. Aro has since striven to 'obtain' the two of us for his 'collection'. Of course, we have refused his offers- our bond to our family is too great.

"So three days ago, Alice foresaw the decision Aro had made: to come to Forks to personally discipline Carlisle for breaking vampire law."

"What?" I objected, my voice deep with disbelief. "He didn't break the law."

Edward nodded. "We know that, but unfortunately neither the Volturi nor my cousin is aware of her mistake. Consequently, all forty-"

"_All_ of them?" Embry asked in horror, his eyes wide as he stared at Edward. I was concerned too. Forty vampires in Forks was something none of us could ever be prepared for.

Jacob sat still, hugging Renesmee to him and I could tell he was afraid- for his imprint.

"My family and I thought long and hard about what Alice had discovered, and we too questioned why all forty would be needed when four to seven would be able to discipline us quite easily. What is certain, however, is that the Volturi intend to punish, not to listen otherwise they wouldn't need to many in their guard. My family concluded that it was vital for us to find other vampires who would be willing to witness Renesmee's growth and say as much to the Volturi when they arrive. The day before my family planned to search for such individuals, Alice and Jasper as you know, left the country via La Push."

"Why do you think they left?" Embry asked sympathetically.

"We believe she foresaw Aro's true intent- the true reason why he wanted to bring all forty of his guard here. He was hoping to kill my family, including Renesmee," Edward acknowledged openly. I was surprised to see that Renesmee already knew this, her face sad but strong at the same time as if she would try her best to stay alive. My son looked thoroughly miserable, rocking gently with Renesmee held tightly to his chest. "Leaving only myself and Alice alive so we would have no choice but to join him," Edward answered bitterly, and I knew he would die before joining the Volturi.

"They want to kill your family?" Quil questioned, looking a little disgusted that someone would go that far just to get what they want. I felt the same.

"We believe so- there is no other reason why they would bring so many. They do not want to lose. With my mind-reading ability, Alice's gift to see the future and Jasper's expert fighting skills, and the strong bond my family share we form a slight threat to them. Alice felt that if she was not present, that would give them less incentive to kill us for she would not be there to recruit."

"But these Volturi are still coming," I confirmed. "So what do you plan to do with two members of your family down?"

"Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett left the moment we read Alice's note to find acquaintances and friends Carlisle has made throughout his existence. If we are lucky, roughly ten vampires will answer our plea, and stay with us until the Volturi arrive in about a month's time."

"Fifty new vampires?" Embry choked out. "Forty of them against you? What chance do we have?"

"We?" Jake cut in, craning his neck so he could see Embry more clearly. "You cannot be a part of this," my son told his friend, his tone suggesting that he did not expect any of them to survive.

"Yes we are!" Embry insisted.

"It is a death sentence," Jake growled at him.

"Then we'll all die," Quil said simply as if this was a better option than doing nothing.

"Sam would never agree- you cannot speak for him," Jake reminded his friends as if that solved the matter.

"Sam has already insisted. Edward told him no and even Carlisle told Sam it was too dangerous, but Sam is all about responsibility," Quil informed Jake who was not present at either the meeting last night nor the handing over of Alice's note the day before.

"You cannot allow them to do this!" Jake insisted, turning on Edward now.

"I told Sam that he must keep his pack out of this battle, Jacob; it is not one we are likely to win. However, if they are _insistent_ on working with us, then we need to be on friendly terms."

Jake snorted. Edward eyed him warily, and then continued. "If we can work together it may force the Volturi to pause when they see- how many are in your pack now?" Edward inquired suddenly.

"Eleven, fourteen if you include Jake, Seth and Leah," Embry answered promptly.

Edward smiled in contemplation, no doubt imagining how the vampires would react if they saw fourteen wolves they didn't even know existed.

"All we are hoping for is that they will listen to us before attacking. Sam seems resolved to-"

"No way!" Jake interrupted Edward, standing up in protest, Renesmee latching on to him as she watched Jacob's face with concern.

Edward stood up too, his eyes narrowed as he contemplated Jacob's thoughts.

"Sam is the leader of his pack and has the right to decide-" Edward insisted however gently.

"We cannot allow him- them!" Jake emphasised pointing at Quil and Embry, though his eyes remained locked on Edward's.

"It is not up to us," Edward said calmly. "Sam and his pack will want to be there, to make sure our visitors remain in control, for the sake of Forks. We cannot stop them from doing what they were… born to do," Edward said more delicately, and I could tell he knew there was far more to werewolves than being the enemy of vampires and protectors of humans.

"Survival is a stronger instinct," Jake persisted, taking a step closer to Edward. His stare was almost pleading and I could tell without having to hear the words, that Jake felt they had no chance against the Volturi. A sense of doom had come over my son, and I knew it was for this reason that he wanted his pack and best friends to stay out of it.

"We have a better chance of winning with them there," Edward pointed out in a soothing tone.

"It may make the Volturi stop- that is all we need, Jake," Bella chimed in her new voice.

"And if it isn't enough?" Jake demanded, as if daring Bella or Edward to take responsibility for the death of his pack.

"They still provide us with a much higher chance of winning."

"We'll also have a lot more to lose! You may be willing to take that risk but I-"

"Jacob," Edward said more authoritatively, his voice rose slightly, "that is not for us to decide. Quil and Embry are dedicated to helping in any way they can. When they know you are in perilous danger, you cannot expect them to stand aside and wait for the result when they are so well equipped to make a difference," he reasoned, and I watched as Jake's expression slowly changed: his body relaxed, but his mouth turned into a frown and his eyes flitted away from all of us.

"We are all worried, but we should hope for the best. If Carlisle's acquaintances and friends believe our story, then we have a good chance, Jacob," Edward consoled my son's unspoken fears.

"I know, Jacob," Edward whispered, his face softening as he watched my son struggle with his mortality as well as that of everyone he loved. "If it doesn't work out- we'll still be together."

Jake turned around and looked me straight in the eye; the pain in his face was visible and torturous. I knew he was thinking of leaving me without a son- without him in my life.

Renesmee wrapped her arms around Jake's neck and hugged him tightly. My son closed his eyes and I watched with sorrow as a tear escape from beneath his eye lid. He nestled his face into Renesmee's curls. He did not cry, but his fear of losing any of them, the Cullens included, was terrifying to him.

Bella stepped towards her daughter and Jake, placing a gentle hand on the latter's shoulder and then kissed Renesmee's cheek.

"We will not go down without a fight," she reminded them.

"And we'll help," Embry insisted, standing up too, Quil following suit soon after. "We will show Sam what we have seen; he cannot deny any of this, and I'm sure he'll be willing to be supportive of Renesmee. We will do our best to protect Renesmee- everyone from these Volturi. I can't imagine how we would suffer if we failed…"

I knew Embry was referring to what would happen if Jake lost his imprint, but either way, losing Jacob would be far more painful.

"We would appreciate it," Edward said quietly. "I am hopeful that your pack will give us a significant advantage."

"I bet we can," Quil said seriously. "We'll put up a good fight," he added in a joking manner. Edward smiled, possibly in agreement.

"You okay with that Jake?" Embry asked, coming to the other side of Jacob and placing a hand on his shoulder. Jake pulled his face away from Renesmee's hair and stared at his friend for a few seconds. Finally he nodded, but I could tell he only agreed because he knew they would help anyway, with or without his permission.

"We can look after ourselves you know," Quil teased, giving Jake a playful punch. "And besides, this little one," he continued, turning to Renesmee and tickling her tummy. She laughed musically, "is way too cute for us not to protect her. We're here for you," Quil asserted and although he was still looking at Renesmee, I knew he was referring to Jake.

"Means a lot," Jake replied, his tone thick with emotion.

"You have a question, Billy?" Edward prompted me. I jumped in my chair, completely forgetting that my thoughts could be heard by someone else. I was thinking about Charlie at that moment and whether he knew about the battle that was coming. My friend had been acting so strangely lately that I wasn't sure what he knew.

"Yes, but it's off topic," I introduced.

"What is it, Billy?" Bella asked, sitting down on a couch in front of me.

"I know we don't have much time," I said, looking at the clock on the wall, "but I was hoping to ask how Charlie has been through all of this. Since he first visited Bella, he has hardly spoken to me; he's not his normal self."

Bella looked worried, her hand clapped to her mouth.

"Oh no- do you think-" Bella asked hesitantly, looking to Edward to see if he had perhaps heard her father thinking about her being a vampire. But somehow I didn't think that was what occupied Charlie's mind and neither did Edward or Jacob.

Amongst Bella's worry, Jacob chuckled and Edward smiled. Bella crossed her arms when she realised she was being teased. Unknown to me, there was a more likely explanation for my friend's behaviour.

Jacob gave me a warm, but somewhat embarrassed smile.

"Ah crap," he said under his breath. "I knew this would bite me in the arse one day," he laughed.

"Language Jake," Bella said sternly.

"It's okay Momma, I know I shouldn't say that word. It's rude," she told Jake who nodded in agreement.

"I know Ness, but it's a figure of speech," Jake playfully defended himself. "Anyway Dad, it was probably my fault," he admitted though he didn't sound sorry at all. "I gave him a bit of a scare; he hasn't been able to look at me the same way since."

"What did you do?" I asked my son slowly for emphasis, I could only imagine what Jake could do, and I hoped I was wrong. In the end, I learnt I was being optimistic.

"Well, a couple of months ago, the Cullens were strongly considering leaving Forks and moving to Alaska. Naturally, Bella and I intended to go with them."

I stared at my son, stunned. I had no idea I could have lost him so suddenly without even knowing.

"We would not have allowed Jacob to leave without saying goodbye to his family," Edward told me seriously.

"Oh Dad, I didn't want to leave," Jake added quickly. "That was the reason I went to visit Charlie. You see, the reason why the Cullens wanted to leave was because they knew Charlie would eventually insist on seeing Bella. Feeling that Bella would not be able to resist his scent, or would otherwise discover what she is, they wanted to leave to keep their secret intact. I didn't want to leave the pack or you, so I thought that if Charlie was somewhat prepared for how Bella had changed, he may not overreact and be able to keep a secret. So," Jacob paused, a huge grin on his face. "I went to Charlie's, and asked him to come outside with me to talk about Bella. I then phased right in front of him."

I think Jake was expecting me to laugh, but I did not find this funny. Jake knew that our tribe's history is sacred- no one, even those in the tribe are to know about phasing until they have actually phased or have a relative who has. Charlie should not have been privy to that, even though he is one of my oldest friends.

Embry and Quil on the other hand looked thrilled. I think they liked the idea that someone outside of the fantastical world knew at least one of our secrets.

"What happened?" Quil asked, his eyes wide with interest.

Jake looked hesitantly at me. He knew I was not impressed, but he continued though perhaps not with as much enthusiasm.

"When I phased back, Charlie stared at me stunned. I told him that there were a lot of things in the world that he didn't know about, but Bella was a part of it. I told him that the Cullens were thinking of moving away unless they were sure that he, Charlie could cope with some 'strangeness' without wanting the details. Charlie was keen to do whatever he had to to prevent Bella from leaving. I warned him that Bella's doing well, but she looks more like Esme than Renee."

By this stage, I was shaking my head at the length my son went to make sure we all stayed together. Nevertheless, I couldn't deny that I appreciated his interference.

"I also told him that there was a child who was really special- more special than the rest of us put together. Charlie was confused but curious, and more keen than ever to see Bella. He made me promise not to tell him any more than he had to know- I think my phasing freaked him out a bit," Jake said sheepishly.

"You are lucky he didn't have a heart attack," I gently berated my son.  
>"That is exactly what I said!" Bella agreed, though I could tell she had forgiven Jake and if anything, was appreciative for his intervention otherwise she wouldn't have a relationship with Charlie anymore.<p>

"Anyway, Charlie took everything pretty well. He noticed a huge change in Bella of course, but was happy to see she's okay and pretty much the same as she always has been. He really likes Nessie. Edward tried to convince him that she is his niece who was recently adopted by himself and Bella, but I don't think he truly believes that…" Jake judged, however uncertainly, as he looked over at Edward.

Edward chuckled. "He struggles with it," Edward admitted. "Every time he sees Ness, he wonders how she was born so quickly. With her eyes exactly the same colour as Bella's were and hair colour identical to mine, not to mention that she shares some of his features as well, he knows Ness is Bella's daughter, but is struggling with the implausibility of it. After all, Bella was only pregnant for one month."

"But he is handling it really well, Billy," Bella emphasised. "We won't be able to see him until the Volturi have come and gone… hopefully we'll still be here." Edward wrapped his arms around Bella as she continued. "We can't tell him what is happening because then he will worry and try to see us, but it is too dangerous for him to be here. He cannot know until the battle is over," Bella impressed upon me and I found myself nodding in agreement.

"So Dad, I'm not sure what you want to do about Charlie," he concluded, sounding a little sorry now. "You see, he knows that you know about my being a wolf. Perhaps he feels a little betrayed that you lied to him or otherwise wonders what other secrets you know about wolves, about Bella, and about the Cullens. No doubt he's curious, but at the same time, scared of knowing the truth of it all. So… yeah. I'm sorry Dad," Jake finished.

"Well at least you are all still here. I am very glad for that, so I guess I cannot be too mad at you. But if it was anyone else less trustworthy, we could be in a lot of trouble- I hope you know that."

"I know Dad, but I didn't know what else to do."

"I understand- I'll try to work something out with Charlie."

"Jacob, it is time," Edward warned, his tone changing to one of command and wariness.

At this, my son and Bella bounded into action. Bella quickly bent down to kiss my cheek goodbye, taking a breath and holding it as she did so she wouldn't be tempted by my scent. She then quickly hugged Embry and Quil, than allowed Renesmee to do the same.

"Bye Billy," Renesmee waved sadly at me, once she had finished hugging me and was back in Jake's arms.

"Bye Renesmee, it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you again soon," I waved back at her.

Jake then passed Renesmee swiftly into her mother's arms and began talking hurriedly with Edward through his thoughts.

"About two minutes away before they could smell your father, but we shouldn't take any chances."

"Tell Sam to be in wolf form at midnight tonight. I will phase and talk with him then," Jake said hurriedly to his best friends as we raced out the door.

"No worries Jake. I hope these visitors won't cause trouble for you or Renesmee," Quil said fondly, trying to peak at the little one through the window.

"Me too, mate," Jake agreed, giving Quil and then Embry quick hugs goodbye.

"We'll see you soon. Just let us know when the big day is. We'll be ready," Embry said.

"We will," Edward promised.

Jake then knelt down in front of me.

"We don't have much time, but… thank you for coming Dad."

"I am glad I did, Jake. She is very special. Despite everything that is about to happen with the Volturi, I have never seen you so happy. I always wondered why you could never let go of Bella even before she came to live in Forks. And now I know," I told my son; I wanted to show him that I understood what he meant when he told Sam his life made sense; this was meant to happen.

Jake nodded, too emotional for words.

He bent down, gave me a strong hug goodbye. "I'll visit you soon," he promised.

"Twenty seconds," Edward estimated. At this, Jake stood aside, allowing Quil to push my wheelchair hurriedly towards our truck. Never before had we piled in so quickly, thank goodness for the strength of these boys. Quil then revved the truck backwards up the driveway. I watched with sadness as my son and Edward disappeared before me; I hoped everything would work out for the best. I did not want Jake's happiness taken away from him, and more than anything, I did not want to lose my son.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jacob's POV

I paced around the Cullen's waiting for the clock to strike midnight. The Denalis, Edward, Bella, and Renesmee were in the living room talking quietly because Nessie was sleeping. I was grateful the Denalis believed our story, with a lot of help from Nessie's amazing gift, because it made me relax a little. But at the same time, I felt nervous about the next lot of vampires due to arrive, for they were human blood-drinkers. I shuddered to think of what could happen with so many of them around. I hoped they wouldn't cause problems for us; if we had to move because of them… I hated to think what I would do. So instead I focused on happier things like seeing my dad, Embry, and Quil. I was so glad they got on with Nessie so well and she them. There could have been some awkward moments but they were able to be honest and brush it off, especially when Nessie confronted them about my anger and disappointment. But all of them were amazing, I was so glad. My imprint loved my dad and my friends, and they loved her too. It was wonderful- _this_ is the way my life was meant to be. All that was left was Sam… if his attitude hadn't changed I was going to turn my back on him for good- I didn't care if Edward got annoyed at me for not 'keeping the peace'. I still hated the idea of the pack being involved with the Volturi- it seemed like such a death sentence, but I didn't want to say that in front of Nessie, even though I was almost certain she knew that anyway by the way we all walked around so glumly. I had enough to worry about already; I didn't want to have to worry about my brothers too.

Finally the clock struck midnight.

"I am going to talk with Sam, I'll be back," I whispered.

I couldn't be sure that Edward or Bella had heard me, but I figured one of them did as no one enquired why I opened the back door. I ran into the forest until I reached my favourite spot to phase- the place where Nessie had first seen me as a wolf. I quickly slipped off my shorts and t-shirt before phasing. The moment I was in my wolf form, Leah and Seth greeted me. Leah was really bitter about the new vampires that had already arrived and the ones we were expecting. Yet she was still being pretty good about it, and stayed relatively hidden and not causing trouble which I really appreciated. Seth was his usual cheerful self and wished me luck when I told them I was going to talk with Sam.

_Sam? _I said in my mind with the intention of speaking with him.

_Hello Jacob, _Sam's deep voice replied sounding as commanding as ever- not that that phased me now.

_I assume Embry and Quil have updated you with what happened today? _I asked trying to sound indifferent to whether they had or not.

_Yes. Both of them forced their experience on me. I could not ignore them._

I chuckled to myself; I could tell that Sam wished he could have ignored them for the most part.

_Are you still intending on bringing the pack into this? _I asked him seriously now, and I hoped that he could hear in my tone that I did not approve.

_Yes. It is our responsibility to protect human life. We must be present._

_The Cullens will do their best to make sure everything stays under control. We don't need the pack, _I insisted, trying my best to sound convincing, but it didn't work.

_From what Quil and Embry told me, the pack could be of use- may prevent these 'Volturi' from attacking._

_And if it makes no difference? Are you willing to put your brothers on the line just for responsibility? _I challenged him.

_It is a risk we must take. A threat is coming and as we always have, we will be prepared for it._

_You cannot prepare for this, _I insisted bitterly. _If they attack, it will be a death sentence._

_At least we will be fighting side-by-side, _Sam attempted to reconcile.

_Was that an apology? _I asked, feeling it was a pretty pathetic one if it was.

_No, I was being honest because our pack is never stronger than when all of us are together, Seth, Leah and yourself included. As one, we are stronger both physically and emotionally. I hope our packs can work together, Jacob. _I was shocked; this was the first time Sam had acknowledged, without bitterness, the existence of two viable packs. Although I still saw us as one sole pack, I appreciated his acknowledgement of my leadership.

_Me too, but I wish it wasn't such an all-or-nothing battle._

_Me neither, but we will do our best and pray it will be enough._

Nothing was said for a while and I wondered what Sam was thinking. I eventually decided to break the silence.

_You know why the Volturi are coming, right?_

Sam hesitated before answering; I could tell he was choosing his words carefully.

_Yes, because of Renesmee. These Volturi feel she is a vampire which is illegal in their world._

_Yeah._

_Embry and Quil tell me she is worth the fight, _Sam allowed and I could tell it was difficult for him to admit this to me.

_Do you? _I questioned him, wondering what he would say now that I was putting him on the spot to give me a straight answer.

_Renesmee is worth fighting for because she is your imprint. _

Not bad, I thought to myself, and he wasn't even being harsh about it- he was being genuine.

_Thanks for at least seeing how important she is to me._

_And to Billy, Embry, and Quil, I can assure you, _Sam added, a deep chuckle in his tone.

_I hope you will get to meet her one day, maybe she'll be special to you too, _I suggested in hesitation wondering if I was pushing things too far. I honestly didn't mind if Renesmee and Sam weren't friends. His desire to protect and accept her was all I wanted. But still, it was interesting to consider.

_If we survive this battle, I am sure I will have the opportunity to meet her afterwards,_ Sam agreed.

_Right, well the Volturi won't be getting here for another month or so. When the snow begins to melt, they will be here, or at least, that's what Alice said before she left._

_How are the Cullens dealing with that?_

_They were completely cut- even I was cut. The little pixie had grown on me and Jasper is an excellent fighter and- and a great comfort. I never thought she or Jasper would leave their family when things were looking so bad._

_They didn't want to leave, _Sam told me and I briefly saw in his mind the way Alice glanced at him before turning away towards the ocean. She looked sad. If she were capable, I am certain she would have been shedding tears.

_I guess not… _I replied, feeling confused now as to why they left if they didn't want to go.

_Well I hope things work out for the better._

_Me too. I will let you know when they are nearly here, so keep an ear out._

_No problem. Take care, Jacob. There is a lot at stake- for all of us._

_You too, Sam. And thanks for accepting her._

_You are my brother, Jacob. I should have seen that from the beginning. Any danger she may have posed we should have addressed together. It was not right of me to segregate you. _Sam paused then, but I knew there was more he wanted to say. Eventually, he continued. _Before he left, Jasper told me you were really hurt by what I said, _Sam said apologetically.

_I was, _I admitted, _but I got over it. The Cullens were really good in that way._

_I am glad. Embry and Quil tell me you are happy, so congratulations._

_Thanks, Sam._

_I better go, say 'hello' to Seth and Leah for me._

_I will. Say 'hi' to everyone back at home for me and tell them I miss them, _and for the first time in ages I felt a little home sick.

_Take care._

_You too._

When Sam had left my mind, and I was able to share my thoughts with my pack again, Leah exclaimed angrily:

_As if he wants to say 'hi' to me- he doesn't care!_

I sighed. _Yeah he does. He loved you- I'm sure he still does. Imprinting just makes you do things you normally wouldn't do._

Leah growled in frustration. _God imprinting has made you soft!_

_But it's true! _Seth stood up for me. _Everyone knows Sam loved you._

_Ugh God! Pretend I never said anything!_

I barked in laughter. It felt good to laugh, even if it was at Leah's expense.

_So it went well with Sam? _Seth confirmed with me, making sure that I was satisfied with what happened.

_Yeah, it did._

For the first time in three months, I felt complete.

Now all we had to do was survive a non-survivable battle…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note: I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I loved writing Nessie's interaction with Quil, Embry, and Billy. It was lots of fun to come up with plausible things she might ask, but at the same time, I wanted to make her almost eerie in her ability to sense things- her innocence combined with her amazing gift is what I love most about her. My favourites would have to be her wondering whether her grandfather could fix Billy's legs and the memory of when she found out Jake was a wolf. What did you think? And of Alice's POV, I always wondered what happened when they left in canon. I hope you liked my version!

So the next chapter, I am sorry to say takes place 6 years after this one. This means that I will not be rewriting the battle and the events the lead up to it because they occur exactly as they did in canon. My apologies to the readers who have not read the saga as I know some of you were looking forward to potential changes in the battle or the things that were said. So obviously, given the next chapter takes place 6 years post BD, the remaining chapters in 'Trust me' are of my own imagination and consist of what I hoped would have happened when Ness grew up ;) I think you can guess what type of conversations Jake and Edward may have now :P So don't worry, there is still plenty of Jake and Edward convos to come! Anyway, there are 6 chapters left of 'Trust me', so I hope you love them!

Anyway, before you leave me, please send me a review (you know how much I love them!) Thanks so much! I will update on Saturday. The next chapter is called 'Fantasy'. Make of it what you will :P


	24. Chapter 23 Fantasy

Author's note: Hi everyone! Thanks so much for all your reviews for the last chapter- I'm so glad you all loved the interaction between Ness, Quil, Embry, and Billy, and that you enjoyed seeing things through Billy's POV for a change :) And yes, my update is a day early as I will be busy all day Saturday. I hope you don't mind ;)

So this chapter, (and the ones following) take place 6-8 years after the end of Breaking Dawn, with the occasional flashback (which I hope you will love!). As I will not be writing a comprehensive story/plot line about what happened during the six year gap, to keep things simple, the living situation of the Cullens remains the same as in Breaking Dawn. So essentially, not much has changed except an increase in age for all characters, and a stronger friendship between the Cullens and the wolves.

I quite enjoyed writing this chapter; it was fun yet quite serious at the same time. As this is the first of 6 chapters (the final 6 of 'Trust me') that are based purely in my own imagination plot wise, I really look forward to hearing your thoughts. There are some specific aspects of this one that I am quite nervous about. I will elaborate further at the end of this chapter. I also hope you enjoy the new perspective in this chapter!

One final note: I know there are a couple of you who have not read the books. As part two of the Breaking Dawn movie is not out yet, the term 'Bella's shield' may be a little confusing for you! Please let me know if you would like me to explain what Bella's shield is, and I would be more than happy to. Warning though, the answer has BD movie spoilers! :P

Okay, so enough of my talking. Let me know what you think of the chapter! Happy reading!

Response to reviews:

NotanAccountAnymore: Thanks so much for your review! Unfortunately the Denali clan is not mentioned :( But as in canon, their interaction goes well (ultimately) when they meet Renesmee. I'm glad you enjoyed the way I wrote Embry and Quil and their interactions with Ness! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Yoda11: I'm so glad you enjoyed the interaction with Ness and her new friends :) And yes, things most definitely end well for Jake and Billy- I couldn't have them estranged at the time of the battle! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

pudget12: Very glad you enjoyed Billy's POV and that I addressed Charlie's possibly being annoyed or a little awkward around Billy because he kept secrets about Bella hidden (even if it was for a good reason!). Unfortunately I don't elaborate on this any further in this story though :( I'm glad you enjoyed the way I wrote Quil and Embry, and that you felt the conversation with Sam and Jake was a plausible one. Sam will pop up in a couple of chapters time :) I really hope you enjoy this chapter!

Reinbeau: Yay! I'm really happy you enjoyed this new perspective. I hope you like seeing the different perspective in this chapter too! :)

Trust me

Chapter 23- Fantasy

Six years later…

Jacob's POV

Although Nessie was just over six years old, she looked like she was in her mid-teens- fifteen or sixteen. It has been so amazing to watch her grow up as she learnt and experienced new things. There was never a day in my life when I took her for granted, and never a moment when I forgot just how lucky I was to have her.

My living situation was a little different now. Instead of hanging around the large white house, the cottage or in the forest, I would return home to La Push to be with my dad. Edward bought me a kick-arse mobile phone so he or Ness could always contact me if anything unusual ever happened. It was his idea as a compromise for kicking off their property, and I wasn't going to complain. Even though it took me twenty minutes to run to their place nowadays, if something was urgent, Edward promised to pick me up in his car. Wasn't going to complain about that either; they kept getting new ones every year!

The cottage that Esme had built for Bella and Edward had been expanded. About two years after Nessie was born, all the Cullens and some of my brothers got together and helped build a second story. It literally took two days which was pretty good given we all had to work together. Bella and Nessie love it. Now the bedrooms were upstairs and the massive wardrobe Alice had given Bella was converted into a storage area, mainly for food when the pack would come over. Of course we had to make sure we made an equally large wardrobe for the room upstairs. Bella was flabbergasted to find it there- I think she was hoping we wouldn't replicate it. No one dared tell Alice that though.

I yawned as I looked at the clock in the kitchen of the cottage. It was 6am. Nessie was sleeping upstairs, but she would probably wake in the next hour or two. Bella and Edward had planned their hunting trip for early this morning, so asked whether I could stay with Ness until they returned around six-ish. Of course, I agreed, even though I knew I would feel completely wiped out from lack of sleep. Plus, this was a big step for them; they had never left me alone with Ness before. Always another family member was with us. But for whatever reason, they decided to trust me for once. Edward was content with the idea that if anything serious happened between Ness and I, his family were only a hundred or so meters away.

I was feeling tired as I sat in the living room, mindlessly watching the TV. Eventually I turned it off and listened out for any strange noises. But all seemed calm; Nessie was still asleep, her breathing deep and gentle.

I went into the kitchen to make something to eat in an effort to keep myself awake. I wasn't really that hungry, but I knew eating would help me stay alert. I don't know why I didn't just fall asleep- it's not like I had to be up all night like Bella and Edward were. Maybe I felt like I had to protect Ness- falling asleep on the job was not an option even though I knew no one would blame me if I had.

As I was making a sandwich with every kind of meat I could find, I heard the back door open. I smelt the scent that wafted in and recognized it as Edward's- a more potent version of Nessie's.

I quickly finished making my sandwich, then holding it in one hand, returned to the entry hall expecting to greet Bella and Edward.

Edward was standing completely still, bolt upright, and looked extremely tense. His eyes were wide and unmoving. Bella was nowhere to be seen.

_What the?_ I said to myself. I took a bite out of my sandwich then placed it back in the kitchen before approaching Edward.

"Edward?" I said cautiously as I walked up to him. He didn't reply.

"Where's Bella?" I asked him, wondering if perhaps something had happened to her and he was in shock. Again he didn't answer me.

I placed myself in front of Edward's face. Even though I was looking directly into his eyes and his were pointing right at me, I had the sense that he couldn't truly see me.

"Hey! Edward!" I said much louder, but not too loudly because I didn't want to wake up Ness. Still there was no reply; the guy hadn't moved at all.

He was concentrating on something, I was sure of it. Was he looking into someone else's mind? Had Bella pulled back her shield for him? Or was it Nessie? The suspense was almost killing me.

"Bella?" I said, walking out the door to see if I could see her. I could smell a faint trail of her scent, but she wasn't there- she would have answered me if she was.

I returned inside and placed myself in front of Edward again.

"Edward, snap out of it!" I insisted, grabbing hold of his shoulders and shaking him roughly.

Nothing.

"Edward," I said, clicking my fingers incessantly, trying to get his attention. "Edward, speak to me, for crying out loud!" I begged, becoming a little frightened. Edward had never been so preoccupied with anything before. Vampires were notoriously capable of focusing on many things at once. This was not _normal_ for him.

"Okay seriously Edward, you're freaking me out," I told him honestly, my voice rising in volume with every word. "Snap out of this trance you're in and talk to me, I know you're in there," I said tapping lightly on his head. "Come on, it's me, Jacob."

The next moment I felt a vice-like grip on my wrist.

"Shit!" I exclaimed in pain as Edward's fingers tightened around my wrist. I looked into the vampire's face feeling horrified.

_Is he possessed?_ I wondered. Nothing was making sense.

"Edward, what are you doing?" I demanded, trying to wrench myself free. But the more I pulled, the harder he grabbed on. I could feel my bones cracking under his strength. Despite his crazy reaction, he still hadn't moved, his face was still frozen… in concentration, in silent rage, in shock? I couldn't tell, but eventually after studying his face I felt that whatever he was experiencing, he was livid and perhaps a little scared. In which case, I wondered why he wasn't doing anything about it.

"Edward," I said more calmly, hoping a change in tone would grab his attention.

_Yeah right._

"Let go of me- you're hurting me." I saw Edward's lip twitch almost in a smirk. Did he _want_ to hurt me? Was that it? He didn't tighten his grip, but he sure as hell didn't loosen it.

"Bella!" I called out, thinking that if she was some distance away she would run faster if she heard me. "Bella, I think something is wrong with Edward!" I shouted, turning my head towards the open door. I didn't care now if I woke Nessie- the pain in my wrist was excruciating. I wasn't able to heal if he never let me go!

A second later, I heard foot steps. It wasn't Nessie, thank goodness, but Bella. She rushed into the house and closed the door behind her. Immediately her eyes rested on my wrist, then my hand which was purpling due to the lack of blood, and finally to her unmoving husband.

"What's happening?" she asked me looking thoroughly puzzled and panicked.

"I have no idea," I said through gritted teeth. "He's breaking my wrist!" I told her urgently, wishing she would hurry up and try to pry him off me.

"Here," she said, sensing my wish. She placed her cold hands over mine and tried to lift up Edward's fingers.

"Edward," she said gently, "please let go of Jacob's wrist; you're hurting him." But Edward didn't let go.

_As if not listen to Bella!_ I screamed at him through my thoughts. But he didn't react; for all I knew he could hear my thoughts and was just ignoring me.

Bella stood on her toes to kiss Edward on his lips. For the first time ever I didn't care that I witnessed this- anything to stop Edward's hard-iron grip on my wrist.

To both of our amazement, it didn't work. He didn't even return the kiss.

"What is he focusing on?" Bella asked herself as she too began to panic. The question was more for herself than me. A split second later, she said with clarity.

"Renesmee."

"What's wrong with Nessie?" I called after her for she was already heading for the stairs.

"If there was something wrong, Edward would have done something. But perhaps she is distracting him some how," Bella said back as she ran up the stairs.

I couldn't help thinking that whatever it was must be pretty damn powerful; Edward was completely taken in.

"Tell me if he returns to normal!" she called out from the top of the stairs. I was in agony; every second that went by seemed like an eternity. I knew Bella was placing her shield around Nessie to see if it helped. I can't believe we didn't think of it before, but I guess it was tempting to try and stop him from hurting me first before finding the underlying root of his madness.

Some torturous thirty seconds later, I felt the grip on my wrist loosen, and the blood started flowing freely through my veins again. I looked directly at Edward as I tried to move my fingers to get the circulation going, and was alarmed when I heard him hiss. He was livid.

"No!" he shouted, and then looked around the room as if wondering where he was. The moment he caught a glimpse of me, he grabbed the front of my shirt and slammed me up against the wall. The wall vibrated against my back creating bruises. Edward was breathing viciously onto my face.

"How dare you?" He growled at me, his face looked beyond angry and was only an inch from mine.

"Jesus," I swore, terrified, my heart pounding rapidly in my chest. I didn't have the least idea what was wrong with him. Was he possessed? I held my hands up above my head to protect my mangled wrist from Edward's unexplainable fury, but this made me feel even more vulnerable.

"Edward!" Bella exclaimed as she leapt down the stairs. "What are you doing?" she demanded, grabbing Edward around his torso and pulling him off me. Although Bella was no longer considered a newborn, it was times like this I was glad she was as strong as her husband. Edward looked scary- demented and hurt as he stared at me. If Bella wasn't restraining him, I had no doubt he would have tried to hurt me again.

"Edward," Bella repeated, forcing him to look at her. "Talk to me. What happened to you?"

"To me?" he grunted through his teeth, glaring at me again as if he felt there was nothing wrong with him and everything the matter with me.

"Yes, to _you_," Bella insisted, turning his face back towards hers. "You grabbed onto Jake's wrist and refused to let go. He was standing next to you for…" Bella looked towards me, uncertain how long I was trying to snap Edward out of his trance.

"At least ten minutes," I told her, wincing when I moved my wrist.

"You have been standing next to me for the past ten minutes?" Edward repeated, though he seemed to doubt it. I had a feeling he believed I was some place else. I seriously wondered if something was wrong with his mind; he was even slower than a human and that's saying something.

"Yes," I said somewhat bitterly.

"You didn't even respond to me," Bella said for emphasis. I could tell she was not insulted by this. In fact I think it made her worry as much as me; whatever Edward was seeing or hearing, it was serious. "I had to shield Renesmee before you would even snap out of it," she continued.

"You shielded Renesmee?" Edward repeated, now looking confused rather than angry.

"Yes I had to shield her mind. Was she thinking or dreaming of something that upset you?" Bella asked more gently now as she rubbed her husband's arms in comfort.

"She was _sleeping_?" he asked in disbelief.

_What else would she be doing? _I thought at him.

Edward turned towards me. His was face hard as he stared into my eyes and then at my bruised and battered wrist. Bella tightened her grip on him anticipating an attack. But Edward didn't attack. As time went on, Bella and I watched as his face softened; common sense- reality was finally coming back to him.

After a good minute, Edward looked down at his own hands in shock. Closing his eyes, Edward shook his head; I figured he must have been responding to something in his own mind, because I wasn't asking him any questions. After a significant pause, Edward opened his eyes and tried to approach me, but was held back by Bella.

"I am fine now, Love," Edward reassured Bella. Well at least he admitted he was _not_ fine before.

Cautiously Bella let go, but she stood close to Edward just in case. As Edward approached me he wasn't looking at my face, but at my bruised and broken wrist. He reached out automatically, his hand getting closer and closer to mine. I suspected that he wanted to look at the damage he had caused, but I wasn't going to trust him just yet. I snatched my arm away and rested it against my body before he could touch it.

Edward looked sharply at my face. There was a deep frown on his features as he looked between my wrist, my face, and Bella. He looked guilty, but I still wasn't allowing him to touch me until I knew exactly why he attacked me to start with.

Edward opened his mouth, probably to try to explain what had happened, but faltered. Instead, he looked into my eyes almost pleading.

"I am terribly sorry Jacob," he whispered. "Please, allow me to look-"

"What the hell was wrong with you?" I yelled before I could stop myself, realizing too late that I probably would have woken Nessie. All three of us turned our heads towards the staircase.

"Renesmee is awake," he reported to us, and then paused, concentrating. "A 'boom' woke her up, and now she is concerned; she thinks you are in trouble," he explained, looking at me.

"She must've heard you slam me into the wall," I said bitterly; when he held me up against the wall it resounded throughout the house.

Edward tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement of my guess, but I could tell he didn't want to claim responsibility for his violence; he still felt guilty.

Bella looked hesitantly between the two of us. She then wrapped her arm around my waist and asked, looking over at her husband apologetically: "Will you be okay if I left you here with Edward? If Renesmee is worried, she may try to come downstairs and I think it would be best if she stay in her room until we sort this out."

I couldn't agree more and apparently, Edward did too.

"I'll hear you if anything… goes wrong," Bella tried to comfort me.

"I'll be fine," I told her.

_As long as Edward doesn't go psycho again,_ I said to myself.

My thought seemed to hurt Edward, his eyes averted to the ground as if he were shying away from such a description.

"Okay," Bella said gently, giving Edward a long, tight hug and a kiss before ascending the stairs to sit with their daughter. She would hear everything we said from up there anyway.

Once Bella had left the room, Edward resumed staring at me, his eyes wide with anticipation.

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened?" I hissed in a harsh whisper.

It took Edward a good ten seconds before he answered, his gaze staring deep into space as he considered his answer.

"I thought- I thought it was _real_," Edward finally breathed. "God it seemed so real," he repeated almost in awe of whatever he saw.

"Well Renesmee does have a very vivid imagination," I reminded him- not that he needed reminding- he is the one who knew better than the rest of us.

Edward was shaking his head again, his forehead against his palms as if trying to push an image out of his mind.

"I made a mistake- I am so sorry Jacob-"

"I was right here!" I insisted, pointing to the ground below me. "You knew I was here, you freaking grabbed my wrist when I said my name!" I shouted half confused, half annoyed.

"I know, but in the moment- I didn't realise-"

"How can I be in two places at once?" I challenged him.

"I wasn't thinking-"

"No kidding," I snapped at him.

"Please, let me look at your wrist," Edward insisted, however gently as he held out his hand waiting for me to place my wrist in his care.

"What did you see?" I persisted, ignoring his request; this was far more important. "It must have been bad for you to attack me like that. Was Nessie dreaming that I was hurting her?" I asked, my voice fading by the end, my stomach feeling sick as I considered why my imprint would have such a terrible dream.

Much to my relief, Edward was shaking his head.

One moment Edward was standing next to me, and the next, his eyes were staring at the floor as he turned his back on me and began pacing around the room. I had never seen a vampire pace.

"I- I do not believe she was dreaming- but perhaps she was," Edward informed me, but I wasn't sure if I should believe him; he was holding his head, his eyes shut tightly closed.

"Edward?"

"God, I'm a terrible father," he said to himself, though of course, loud enough for me and Bella to hear. Given that Bella wasn't around to object to this, I felt the need to probe.

"Why?"

"My 'gift' doesn't give her any privacy unless Bella is there to shield her."  
>"Privacy?" I echoed, wondering what the hell Edward saw. The possibilities were starting to freak me out- this could be gross.<p>

But apparently Edward was beyond explaining any further- he couldn't even look at me.

In the end, I tried to work it out for myself.

"You think it was a dream, but maybe not. You were mad at me, but I wasn't hurting her. You think you've invaded her priv-" But I broke off then. A sudden possibility came over me and I knew I was right by the way Edward reacted to my thought.

_A fantasy… about- about me?_

He cringed; he looked so embarrassed.

"What am I going to do?" he whispered as he sat down on the couch nearest me, resting his head in his hands, probably just so he wouldn't have to look at me.

"Be honest?" I suggested. I thought it was the best strategy; we had always been as honest as we could whenever we had to explain difficult things to Nessie. I knew she would understand; she loved her father's gift.

"How can I tell her I kept- I kept-"

"Watching?" I assisted. It was strange to even suggest it.

Edward let out a harsh breath of air as he realised the truth of it.

"I tried to pull away the moment I saw. But I couldn't. It was as if my mind was drawn to hers. I could not put it out of my mind long enough to let it go…"

I sat down next to Edward, accidently hitting my wrist against the armchair- a wrist I could barely feel. Wincing, I cradled it against my chest again.

"Please allow me have a look," Edward pleaded, holding out both of his hands towards me. Slowly I allowed him to look at my wrist which was purple and felt mangled.

With delicate, careful fingers, Edward examined my wrist. No doubt it was something to distract him for what was becoming a very disturbing issue. I wondered what Bella had made of all of this and whether Nessie was asking questions. We would all need to have a chat with her later.

"Bet you can't look at either of us the same way again, huh?" I asked feeling a little sympathetic.

Edward shook his head, but didn't take his eyes off my wrist; he was still examining it.

Once he had finished looking at the damage he had caused, Edward carefully placed my wrist into my lap, and then inquired:

"How is your back?"

I moved my back in various directions, unable to feel any pain except for the slight twinge of a bruise.

Edward heard my assessment and nodded his satisfaction, though his eyes were tight with guilt.

Suddenly he stood up and vanished into the kitchen, returning with the first aid kit.

I sighed heavily.

"My wrist is fine, Edward," I insisted. "It will heal in no time."

Completely ignoring me, Edward reached into the kit until he found a bandage.

"This is just to help you keep it steady so it will heal more effectively," Edward explained. Unraveling the bandage, Edward carefully and with great precision started wrapping my wrist up.

I knew what he was doing: he was trying to side-step the issue.

Well I wasn't going to allow that to happen; this was big. As far as I knew, Nessie had never thought of me as anything more than a very good friend- a family friend. This indicated she wanted me to be something more.

"Do you think Ness sees me that way?" I whispered hopefully. Edward stopped in mid-motion, his eyes staring at the bandage rather than at me.

After a long pause, Edward continued wrapping my wrist- he was going slow for a vampire.

"We should wait for her to tell us," he answered simply.

God he was irritating.

"If it was a dream, or- or a fantasy, surely it's a good thing?"

"For who?" Edward snapped as he started wrapping the bandage around my shoulder like a sling.

I felt sorry for Bella and Edward; Nessie was growing up so fast. I could tell Edward was not happy that his daughter was already moving into adolescence and starting to think about things like… sex. It was so strange to think about her that way, yet I had difficulty keeping a straight face. I wanted to smile so bad, and laugh out loud in anticipation that maybe- hopefully a new life with Nessie wasn't far away.

I decided to answer Edward's rhetorical question with another question.

"You're not happy for her?"

Edward looked up at me then, his medical work now complete. He didn't look angry, but hurt by what I said.

"Of course, I am happy for her," he said calmly. "But it has happened so suddenly- so vividly, I do not want her to rush-"

"Woah, woah, hang on!" I objected, raising my right, uninjured arm in surrender.

"What did you see exactly?"

"Allow her to show you- I am trying to forget for her sake and mine."

I laughed. "You know it's impossible for you to forget."

"I am seriously trying."

"It wasn't that bad was it?"

"I thought it was real, Jacob. Everything she imagined- her dream or her fantasy was so accurate. I would not have hurt you if I thought there was any chance it was a dream!" Edward asserted in disbelief, looking down at his hands again. "I do not want her to hide things from me because I cannot master control over my own gift," he said sadly, with an edge of bitterness in his tone.

"It's not your gift that's the problem, Edward," I told him seriously, trying to get his attention. "If it was someone else, you wouldn't have cared. It's because it was Renesmee's dream- or fantasy. You wanted to make sure she- that we…"

Edward stared at me as if daring me to finish the sentence.

"Did- did we?" I stuttered. I would be horrified if we had as well as embarrassed, but a little curious too. How would Nessie have imagined it?

"Bella shielded her before… it was tended in that direction… it was close," Edward concluded and I could tell that he too didn't want to think about what would have happened had Bella not stepped in.

Edward kept looking at me and then away as he resumed pacing around the room. Angry at himself for making a mistake, but scared that it could one day become a reality- that one day he could return home to find me in Renesmee's bed.

_Stop panicking, _I requested gently, reaching out with my good hand to rest it on his shoulder.

Edward pushed my hand away. Normally I would have been offended; Edward and I had been on good terms for years, but I knew this wasn't about me. He felt scared and guilty- his feelings etched all over his face as it darkened every time he passed me. I kept watching him, not game enough to comfort him until he had cooled off a bit. But he never calmed down and his pacing became faster and faster, so I knew I had to step in before he drove himself mad.

"Edward." I spoke clearly and assertively to make sure Edward knew I was being serious. "You have nothing to worry about; I would _never_ do that to you-" Edward stopped pacing then, his eyes boring straight into mine. I gulped, but kept pushing forward; I couldn't lose my nerve now that he was finally paying attention. "I respect you and Bella too much to betray your trust that way. And you know I would never force Ness into doing something she wasn't ready for," I reminded him gently. "You and Bella have been amazing, allowing me to be around Nessie and be such a big part of her life. I swear I have never taken that for granted." And it was true; I never have. I knew Nessie was such an amazing gift- that that gift could have been taken away from me should Edward and Bella decide to do so. "Also, Nessie adores you- seriously she does. She would never hurt you that way. I hope you don't think this fantasy is a betrayal of that- I'm sure she was just wondering what- it- would be like…" I trailed off feeling awkward.

It was a good three seconds before any words came out of Edward's mouth.

"Thank you for your reassurance," Edward whispered. "We never spoke about what would happen should this situation arise- it has happened so suddenly- this is the first I have known of Renesmee's thoughts with regard to- to taking your relationship to the next level. I did not think she was in that place yet," Edward sighed.

"I know your views on this," I reassured him, resting my hand on his shoulder. I remembered all too well what he was like with Bella and… sex. "You can trust me, Edward. I haven't let you down yet, have I?"

"No," Edward admitted, smiling a little.

"And if I ever do think about Ness that way, I promise to do that when I'm in La Push," I added somewhat awkwardly.

"I would appreciate that," Edward said gratefully, and I was happy he wasn't overly concerned that I _would_ think of Ness that way now that I knew what she has been dreaming about.

"And perhaps you could ask Nessie to try to do the same, so she'll only think of me when you're not around. We might be able to prevent injury that way," I said almost in a teasing way as I looked down at my wrist which I could feel was slowly healing.

Edward chuckled at my joke, but then became serious again.

"I am sorry about your wrist. If it doesn't feel better by tonight, let me or Carlisle know," Edward requested of me as he too, looked down at my bandaged wrist.

"Sure, sure."

Edward paused then, and I could tell his mind was elsewhere; his head was titled towards the second floor. After ten seconds of silence, Edward updated me on what was happening with Nessie.

"Renesmee wishes to speak with me," Edward informed me, and I could hear a sense of hesitation in his voice, evidently afraid of what Nessie would say when she found out what he had done. As for me, I had no doubt that Nessie would be okay with it- as I told the guy himself, Ness adores her father. "Bella and I will talk with her first if that's okay with you?"

I nodded. "No problem," I replied wholeheartedly; it was best that they spoke to her first to get everything out in the open.

"We will let you know when we're done so you can have some time with her," Edward added respectfully as he made his way upstairs.

"Sounds good. I'll wait here," I replied as I walked back into the kitchen to finish my sandwich. Although I didn't feel tired anymore, I hated wasting food and besides it gave me something to do while I waited to see my imprint.

Sitting on the couch, I pretended to watch the TV, but all I could think about was Ness- excitement filling me up as I thought about our future together; it was going to be amazing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Renesmee's POV

I heard a loud 'boom' as if someone had thrown something heavy against the wall downstairs. It frightened me, so I sat up in bed straining my ears to see whether the sounds came from inside or outside of the house. A moment later I heard Jake yelling, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. Was he arguing with someone? Was he scared? Or trying to warn me of danger? I was considering getting out of bed just in case Jake was in trouble- I might be able to help. Perhaps someone had broken in? Maybe that is what the loud sound was? Of course, Jake was so tall, it would be amazing if someone had managed to hit him over the head, but I was still worried. I decided that I would count to five and if I heard nothing else, I would stay put.

After five seconds of silence, I tried to console myself that Jake was okay, but even then, I still doubted my assessment; perhaps the robber had somehow managed to knock Jake out and was now taking our things?

_No, _I tried to reason with myself, _no one would try to steal something from the Cullens. It's never happened before. And Jake's too tall, too strong to be knocked out by a human._

So reluctantly I settled back under the covers, waiting- hoping that Jake would come upstairs to see me after hearing such a loud noise. Surely he would come up to tell me that he was okay?

Thinking of Jake reminded me of the dream I was having. I allowed myself to smile. Despite the booming sound waking me up way before I was ready to, that didn't take away from what I saw in my dream and what I felt whilst I was dreaming. It made me feel so happy; I could have stayed in that dream forever. But once I was awake I realized that I couldn't explain where my feelings and those vivid images had come from.

I never knew I saw Jake as anything more than my best friend, yet a part of me knew he was more than that. I tried to imagine what I would do without him in my life, but I couldn't- I wouldn't be complete without him. That's when I realized my dream was telling me something- somewhere inside me I wanted Jake to be more. I replayed pieces of my dream in my mind wondering how I could so suddenly imagine him in such a way- it came out of nowhere- I was certain I never had romantic feelings for him before. I wondered whether I was just maturing; Mom spoke to me six months ago about changes I may expect, but the dream was more than that; I was not simply aroused… I wanted my dream to come true.

Although I was technically only 6 years old, my mental age according to Grandpa Carlisle was 19 and my appearance was that of a 15 year old. I knew quite a lot about love and… sex, though not by my parents' choosing, I assure you. Unfortunately, Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie chose an inconvenient time to 'make love' when I was visiting the big house for Aunt Rose's birthday. It was last year that it happened and myself, as well as the entire house including Jake (who came with us) heard all the details. It took Grandma Esme a whole 5 seconds before she sprinted upstairs to knock persistently on their door. Understandably they stayed up there for the rest of the night while Mom and Dad struggled to explain what exactly I had heard. In retrospect, I remember Jake looking quite uncomfortable sitting in the lounge room with us. Eventually, he said good night early, kissed my forehead and looked at my parents sympathetically before leaving; he was just in time too because soon after he left, my parents and Grandpa elaborated.

Daddy felt I was mature enough to handle the truth; he could tell I was interested to learn and would use the information responsibly. I had never seen my parents look so awkward; Daddy was actually stumbling over his words- the first and probably last time that will ever happen to him. Eventually, Grandpa Carlisle stepped in to explain the nitty gritty details of exactly how a baby is 'made'. In the end, my parents were relieved I was not traumatized by what my aunt and uncle were so blatantly doing, and was not grossed out by how I must have been conceived by my own parents. From that day, I saw sex as a beautiful thing; I was happy that my aunt and uncle were clearly having a good time together. I remembered wondering what it would be like to be that close to someone- to share everything: your body and mind, with someone you love. I remember Daddy's eyebrows rising in surprise when he heard what I was thinking by the end of it all. He felt I was 'mature far beyond my years' and I suppose he was right.

Despite how well the 'talk' went, my father refused to speak to Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett for 3 full days, despite Uncle Emmett's valiant attempts to get him talking. Dad told me it wasn't because sex was wrong, but because it's private and shouldn't have been done when others could hear. I told Dad I was okay with it, but he completely ignored me.

I thought about my dream and was amazed by its clarity; it was perfectly imagined. It scared me a little that I could dream of something I had never seen or experienced before. Yet, it looked and felt how I thought it would and my happiness that the person I was with was Jake completely overrode any shock I felt that I had those feelings for him in the first place. It felt right somehow…

I was wondering how Jake felt about me when Mom knocked on my door and entered a second later. She gently closed the door behind her as she turned to smile at me, and then walked over to sit on the edge of my bed.

"Good morning Sweetie," she greeted me, giving me a kiss on the forehead.

"Good morning Momma," I whispered giving her a hug, feeling a bit emotional by my new revelation about Jake; I was a little nervous about what Mom and Dad would say if I told them- when I told them. I didn't keep secrets from them and with Dad it's almost impossible to anyway.

"Did Jake wake you up?" she asked me, studying my face, no doubt trying to work out what I heard. Her question reminded me of the reason why I woke to start with. As I studied my mother's face, I knew Jake must've been in trouble after all.

I touched Mom's face and replayed what I heard to her.

"Jake was yelling," I reinforced at the end of my replay.

Mom nodded.

"At who? Is everything okay?" I asked, worried that perhaps he and Daddy were fighting.

I didn't realize I was still touching Mom's face, so she saw what I was thinking. Instead of answering me, she hugged me close to her.

"Daddy and Jake are working it out. Both of them are fine," she reassured me, my ear pressed to her cold, though comforting chest.

"What happened?" I asked curiously, "they hardly ever argue."

"They're not arguing, Renesmee," Mom consoled me, pulling me away from her to look into my eyes with her bright golden ones, "they are talking things through."

"Did one of them hit the other one? I heard a loud noise," I asked inquisitively, wanting the answers I knew my mom could give me.

But she ignored me; I had the feeling she was focusing on whatever they were talking about downstairs.

So I thought it through myself: I couldn't imagine Jake being able to move Daddy's body so forcibly (assuming Dad was able to resist), not when he wasn't in wolf form. So it must've been Daddy that hurt Jake- no wonder why Jake yelled. I hoped he wasn't in pain. Mom said they were fine, but I didn't know if I could believe her. 'Fine' wasn't the same as 'good', and I knew something bad must've happened, she just didn't want to worry me.

I watched my mom closely; I could tell that she was trying to listen to what they were saying to each other.

"You look worried," I pointed out, wishing she would be honest with me.

Mom gave me a brief smile, but I had the feeling she was feeling sad. "Everything is fine, I promise," she insisted gently, but she refused to elaborate.

"What's happening?" I persisted, dying to know what was making my mother so sad.

But Momma didn't answer; she just held me close to her and rocked back and forth- a motion which soothed me as a child. Realizing that she wasn't going to say anything further until they had finished talking, I strained my ears trying to hear what was being said below. But I could only hear faint mutterings- not a single distinct word; they must have been speaking quietly. After ten minutes, I gave up.

I sighed. "So I guess I'm going to have to wait until they're done?" I asked, crestfallen; I wanted to make sure everything was okay, especially after the dream I just had, I really wanted to speak with my parents and Jake.

I gasped, my tone so high-pitched I could have been in pain, but I wasn't. I clapped my hand to my mouth in horror; how did I not think of it before?

My mom reacted instinctively as she leapt in front of me, crouched on my bed as she stared into my eyes.

"What's wrong Renesmee?" she asked me hurriedly, holding my wrists gently as she tried to pry them from my mouth.

"Oh no," I whispered through my fingers. Mom was staring at me, clearly frustrated that I wasn't giving her any more information.

"Renesmee-"

"Mom, how long ago did you and Dad get home?" I asked her, foolishly hoping, praying that her answer would be: 'just before I came up to see you'. But it wasn't.

"About half an hour ago, Sweetie, why?" she asked me, clearly concerned, her eyebrows knitted together.

I was shaking my head; Dad must have seen my dream- there's no other reason why he and Jake would be mad at each other. But why would they argue? Nothing happened- this wasn't Jake's fault. Daddy should be mad at me!

"I must speak with Daddy," I told Mom, determined to get out of bed without her interference.

"Daddy will come to speak with us when he has finished talking to Jake," she reminded me gently, her hands on my shoulders for she ran in front of me to make sure I couldn't walk out the door.

"It was my fault, Momma; Dad must have seen the dream I was having-"

And when I saw the way Mom's face changed, I knew my guess was right.

"It wasn't your fault, Sweetie," Mom consoled me, hugging me to her, and then shuffled us away from the door just before Dad stepped inside. Jake was not with him.

"Jacob is downstairs. You can speak with him soon, Darling," Dad reassured me, answering my unspoken question. I was still hugging Mom, so I could only hear Dad's voice. I eagerly pulled away from Momma so I could see his face. Dad was staring at me. I was expecting him to look surprised, or perhaps embarrassed. But he didn't; he looked… upset- I was sure of it.

_You saw my dream, didn't you Daddy? _I asked him through my thoughts. _Are you okay?_

My father didn't reply; he stood frozen in silence as he looked at me, as if he didn't recognize me anymore.

"Daddy?" I whispered urgently; worried by his silence. My eyes begin to tear up.

_He's never going to be able to look at me the same way again; Daddy must be so disappointed in me._

"No Renesmee," Daddy sang, gently lessening my fear, and suddenly he was hugging me to him. "You may dream anything you want to dream."

"Then- then why are you so sad?" I asked him, thinking about the way he was looking at me, so he'd know why I thought he was upset. "Is it because I am growing up so fast?" I asked sympathetically.

Dad's chest moved under my cheek as he chuckled quietly. I could feel his lips rubbing against my hair as he shook his head.

"No Darling, though I do wish you could slow down," he teased me, but I could hear how sad it made him nevertheless.

_Was it because I was dreaming of Jake? _I ventured, my heart racing as my nerves got the better of me.

But Dad didn't answer, he just hugged me tighter to him, and somehow I felt like he didn't want to let me go. _Did Dad have a problem with Jake?_ I questioned myself, but then soon realized that this wasn't about Jake, but what my dream represented: the next part of my life… away from home, away from Momma, and away from him.

We stood together hugging in silence, my ear was pressed against his chest and his arms were wrapped tightly around me. I closed my eyes as I listened to Mom move around us. I think she was wondering what she should do: leave us for a moment or try to comfort us some how. In the end, she sat on my bed and waited.

As I hugged my father, I thought of him and what he must be feeling. I knew that I was growing up much faster than my parents would have liked; I looked twice my age, and soon I would stop growing. I wasn't sure exactly where my dream about Jake had come from, but I knew it was something I wanted to happen to me- to us one day. I thought I would need to explain to my parents how I felt- try to justify why I liked Jake the way I did, but by the way my father was hugging me I knew I wouldn't have to. He knew this was real for me, even if it was a dream. My dad is amazing that way; his gift makes him so special, and a wonderful, caring, and understanding father. I felt tears pour down my face at the thought of hurting him; even though he denied it, I knew he didn't want me to grow up so fast- I wished I could slow myself down for a few years just to give him and Momma that time.

I took a deep shuddering breath, tears still falling fast down my cheeks.

_I'll always be your little girl, Daddy._

I felt my father's lips press on the top of my head through my curls, but instead of pulling away, he stayed there. I don't think he trusted himself to speak and that was okay.

I saw Mom get up off my bed and stand next to Dad. I couldn't see, but I was sure she was running her hand up and down his back.

_Are you mad at me? _I ventured in the tiniest, child-like voice my thoughts could muster.

I felt my dad shake his head, his lips moving from side-to-side ever so slightly.

"Never," he muttered, his lips never leaving my head.

I took another deep breath and allowed both my guilt and my love to fill me up. I inched my fingers under Dad's shirt so my skin and his were touching.

_I never wanted to upset you. _I squeezed my eyes shut trying to show my father how much I meant it through my mind and my gift. I showed him an image of him and me hugging each other like we were then. I tried to tell and show how much I respect him, and most importantly, how much I love him.

I heard my father gasp with emotion; my own feelings had become overwhelming for him.

"I love you too, Renesmee," Dad whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Never forget that."

"And don't _you_ ever forget, Daddy," I quietly cried back.

I pulled him to me, squeezing him so tight that for a moment I didn't want to let him go. I wanted him to know how sorry I was that he found out about my feelings for Jake through such a sudden, vivid dream. I would have preferred to have told him, and prepared him for it knowing how much it would sadden him. But my dream was something Daddy would not have seen coming- I can only imagine what he must've been thinking when he first saw me lying next to Jake… naked. I cringed, and squeezed him even tighter.

After a few minutes, I felt my father take a deep breath, and then slowly he lowered his arms and took a step back to look at me.

His eyes were unusually bright, but he was giving me his crooked smile which was his way of telling me he was okay. But I still felt sad and confused; despite what I had said, my father still looked devastated, and… guilt?

_Why are you so sad? _I asked him concerned, and then begged him to just tell me what was bothering him so he could get it out in the open.

Daddy held my hands in his and gently rubbed my knuckles with his thumbs.

"It is times like this that I wish I did not have my gift-"

"What? Daddy no! How can you say that?"

"If I did not have my gift, you would have been spared the immense guilt you feel for having a dream you could not control. But this is _not _your fault. I tried to pull away, Renesmee," he told me, his eyes looking away from me to stare at our hands. "But I couldn't. I should have remembered that your dreams often seem real to me."

"It's okay, Daddy; I understand. Remember, I pull you in as well. I'm just- I'm sorry you had to see all of that," I muttered, looking down at the ground now, feeling embarrassed.

"You have nothing to apologise for," my dad insisted, his voice stern now. "You have the right to privacy, whether that is your thoughts or your dreams, without fear of your father's judgment. I wish I could give you that privacy- the safety of knowing that your thoughts are your own to keep, and your dreams are yours to reflect on. Living with me," Dad paused then, placing his hand instinctively on his chest to indicate to himself, "means you cannot have that privilege."

"Daddy, you know I wouldn't have it any other way," I reminded him seriously.

I looked into his eyes so I could study his face; I saw guilt written all over it.

"It pains me that I cannot give you that," my father admitted to me. My heart almost broke when I saw just how much he meant it.

"Oh Daddy, your gift is a part of you, you wouldn't be the dad I love without it," I told him, and then I showed him an image of how I see him: understanding, perceptive, and always the first to be there whenever I've needed him. "You give me so much more than any other father could," I reminded him, staring into his eyes so he knew how sincere I was being. "You understand me better than anyone else, and that's all I need in a father: someone who knows who I am and loves me for it."

My father closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief.

"What did I do to deserve such an amazing daughter?"

I laughed a little, rubbing my thumbs along my father's knuckles.

"What did I do to deserve a father who wants what's best for me even when it hurts him so?" I whispered feelingly.

"Just by being you," Daddy told me, kissing my forehead.

We paused, my hands still resting in his as we thought about what to say next.

_I felt a loud thump before. Did you throw Jake against the wall or something? Is he hurt? _I asked Dad, cringing slightly at the thought that Jake was injured because of the dream I had.

"Yes, I did. But he is fine, Renesmee," Daddy reassured me gently, though I could see in his eyes that there was more to the story.

_Why were you so mad at Jake? _I asked, realizing that I didn't really know why Dad was so mad at him to begin with. Only one answer came to me, and yet it seemed impossible to be true.

_Is it because you thought that my dream was- was real? _I wondered hesitantly. I just thought Dad would find my dream unpleasant and awkward to witness because I am his daughter, and because it reminded him how quickly I was maturing, and that I may want to start dating and move out in the near future. But if he actually thought it was _happening… _

And when I saw the way Daddy looked at me, his eyes tight now in anticipation, my own eyes grew wide in horror; I was right.

_You thought Jake and I were- that we- _

Dad nodded sadly. No wonder why Daddy was so angry downstairs; he thought Jake and I had betrayed him.

"But- but we're not even dating!" I objected, wondering how Daddy could have thought such a situation to be possible.

"I know," my father whispered.

"I don't even know how he feels about me-" I kept defending myself, feeling as if I had to guard my dream against my own reasoning- what was I thinking?

"I know, Renesmee." I looked up into Daddy's face, shocked to see that the guilt and apprehension was still there- nothing I said seemed to reassure him of anything.

"But Daddy, even if we were together…" I whispered, feeling emotional just from seeing the pain in my father's eyes, "Jake would never do that to you-_ I_ would never do that to you, you know that right?" I felt tears prickling my eyes as I watched him, waiting- hoping that his face would relax into a smile for me.

Seeing that I was becoming upset once again, Daddy pulled me towards his chest and kissed the top of my head before saying:

"Yes, I know, Darling. Jacob reminded me of the same thing- he was also insistent that he would never hurt me that way. But Renesmee, try to understand, I was too deep in the moment- I couldn't pull myself away from your mind long enough to see reason."

I nodded my understanding; I knew Daddy was especially protective of me, so naturally the first thing he would have thought upon seeing my dream could not have been 'my daughter would never hurt me that way'. It made sense, but it still hurt to realize that Daddy thought I had betrayed and disrespected him. I tightened my hold around my father's waist, breathing in his scent while my tears dried.

We were standing in silence; Momma's hand was on my shoulder, her thumb running along my shoulder blade to help me calm down.

"Sweetie?" she whispered in my ear, making me shiver just a little; I wasn't expecting her cool breath there. "How do you feel about Jake?" she asked me gently, breaking the silence. I felt Daddy's hold around me loosen as he slowly held me out in front of him so he could see my face. His eyes were wide with curiosity, but he no longer looked sad or guilty which I was relieved about.

I wanted to say straight away that I felt I loved him, but I couldn't utter the words; my answer was much more complicated than that. When I realized this, I quickly glanced at my father, his expression now unreadable. There was no denying that he knew what my immediate answer was, but now he needed to work out how he felt about it.

"I… I don't know," I eventually whispered, looking into my mother's honey coloured eyes now. But my words didn't fool either of my parents; even without his gift, I am sure Daddy would have been able to tell I was lying.

Feeling embarrassed, I pulled further away from my father, so both of my parent's faces could be in my sight at the same time.

We stood in a heavy silence; I could tell my parents were waiting for me to elaborate, but I couldn't- I was terrified.

Suddenly, Momma closed the gap between us to place her hands on either side of my face and kiss my forehead.

"You can tell me," she encouraged me gently, only including herself in that statement because she knew Daddy could see what I felt.

I looked hesitantly at Dad, who smiled his encouragement even though I could tell he felt conflicted.

"Do you know what my dream was about?" I asked my mother, feeling my face turn red with embarrassment.

Momma smiled sympathetically as she rubbed my left arm with her hand. "Yes, Sweetie; I heard Daddy and Jake talking about it downstairs."

I nodded. "It came out of nowhere," I impressed upon her, feeling almost awed by my dream and how much it affected me.

"Was this dream the first time you've felt anything romantic towards him?" she asked me kindly, clearly not wanting to pry if I didn't want to be open with her.

I nodded, relieved that she understood.

"How do you feel about him now?"

"I- I think I… is it weird if I said I love him?" I asked, tears swimming in my eyes as I wondered what Jake and my parents truly thought about me falling in love with someone so much older than me- someone who was once in love with my mother.

Daddy was the first to react, because he had the advantage of hearing my thoughts. I felt his arms wrap around me, his chin resting on the top of my head.

"Do you remember what we told you?" he sang in my ear.

I nodded, sniffling a little as I remembered how my parents answered me when I asked them: 'What is love' when I was two years old. I decided to recite their words out loud; I remembered it perfectly.

"Love is a beautiful gift, the only emotion completely ruled by our heart. Only here can something be so unconditional and eternal. Love makes us feel we can do the impossible, because we feel so complete and whole. We cannot decide who we love because love is destined; two people who are made for each other. If you're lucky enough to find your other half, you'll know because you cannot see your future without them in it, and you cannot conceive being truly happy if they are not with you. But once we have something so amazing, we have so much more to lose. The hardest part is to be brave enough to take the risk, by grabbing onto the person you love and never let them go no matter what," I finished, tears falling down my cheeks as I realized for the first time, just how true those words were and how much I now felt them for Jake.

I examined my mother's face and I could tell she felt emotional too; whether from her own feelings or seeing how I was affected, I couldn't tell.

Despite the amazing revelation I had made, there was still one pressing issue I couldn't get rid of.

"But Momma," I persisted through my tears. "Don't you think it's strange that I love someone who used to love you?"

Mom shook her head, a tearful smile on her face. I could tell she wanted to say more, but somehow she managed not to speak. As I watched my mother's face and felt my father's strong arms around me, I felt like I was the only one who was shocked by my feelings for Jake. I was expecting at least Daddy to object- I thought that's why he was so angry with Jake to begin with- was I the only one who was blind to my true feelings?

"He's older than me," I pointed out, trying to get some form of negative reaction from them- not because I wanted them to be mad at me, but because I wanted them to challenge me; I felt like I was jumping blindly into this- I didn't trust what I was feeling, and yet somehow I knew I had to.

"Does it bother you that he is older?" Momma asked me, concerned.

I was shocked to find myself shaking my head 'no' because it really didn't bother me, I was only thinking about the objections my parents or Jacob himself would have.

"But he's a wolf and I'm part vampire- that- that can't be normal, can it?" I asked hesitantly, because even though my family and Jake's got along really well, I knew that some vampires and some of the pack still maintain the view that wolves and vampires are enemies.

"And what was normal about a vampire falling in love with a human?" Daddy questioned me kindly as a reminder of my own parent's love, as he released me from our hug.

I nodded, giggling a little; he was right.

"Renesmee," Momma addressed me soothingly, reaching out to hold my hands in hers. "It's okay to love Jake."

When I heard these words, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders; my mother was acknowledging my love out loud and that meant a lot to me. But at the same time, I couldn't help wondering: _but does Jake love me? _

"Thanks Momma," I whispered gratefully, as I pulled her into a hug. "Do you think he loves me too?" I ventured, mumbling into her chest, my heart racing as I waited for her answer.

There was a significant pause and I had no doubt my parents were communicating silently above my head; perhaps they were trying to spare my feelings. Of course, Daddy would know the answer to my question, and it was times like these that I wished Dad would share what he knew, but I knew he didn't like to use his gift in that way.

"You'll have to ask him," Momma eventually responded warmly. I felt crestfallen; that's what I was scared of because now I had to be brave enough to ask. What if Jake didn't love me? What if he thought it was wrong for me to love him? What if he thought I was too young? Then Daddy would have a reason to hurt him- because he hurt me, and I didn't want that.

Daddy ignored my thoughts, but when he said: "We will give Jacob some time to speak with you. Your mother and I will visit the family at the big house," I knew he was indirectly reassuring me that he would stay away regardless of Jake's reaction.

"Okay," I agreed in a shaky voice. I felt completely safe with Jake but I was anxious of his reaction and his answer.

I let go of Momma, so I could give Daddy a hug goodbye, thanking him for taking my dream so well and not making things really awkward between us. I also reminded him again how much I love him. Daddy kissed the top of my head just before we broke apart. Momma kissed my forehead, and then ran her thumbs along my cheek bones.

"It will be okay, Sweetie," she reassured me.

I nodded, having no idea whether she would be right.

"We will tell Jake to come up on our way out," Momma informed me as she led the way out of my room.

"We love you Renesmee," Daddy told me, his eyes sparkling as he followed my mother.

"Dad," I said seriously, to find him immediately back in my room. I could sense my mother was standing nearby, though out of sight.

"Are you going to be okay?" I asked sympathetically, still feeling terrible and embarrassed that my father saw my dream.

"Of course, Darling," he reassured me, his crooked smile doing the trick.

"You have a perfect memory, remember?" I teased him.

"I will survive; for now I know it is just a dream," he laughed, but I could still see a trace of sadness in his eyes.

"Okay… I'll see you soon, Daddy," I whispered as he left the room.

I listened carefully, trying to hear whether my parents spoke much to Jake, but to no avail; all I could hear were snippets of whispering. So it was an agonizing one minute before I heard him mount the stairs. Whilst I waited, I sat on my bed, shivering slightly; my feelings had come upon me so suddenly that I didn't know if I was ready to admit them to Jake yet. But given the dream I had had, and the overwhelming sense that my love for him was here to stay, I consoled myself with knowing that now was as good a time as any to share my feelings with him.

I could hardly keep my breathing steady as I waited for Jake to reach my bedroom; all I could think about was my dream and what it could mean for me and for Jake. To be so happy, to feel so loved by Jake would mean everything to me. Even though Momma and Daddy would miss me if I got married and I would miss them terribly too, I still couldn't stop myself from hoping that maybe- just maybe my dream will come true.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note: So I was wondering, did anyone think it is unrealistic for an imprint to suddenly realize romantic feelings for their wolf (it's okay if you think it is!)? Given that Jake has been with Renesmee every day of her life, I think it's plausible that she wasn't fully aware of her true feelings until a dream (in this case) opened her eyes to the possibility of seeing him as more than her best friend. Of course, Ness' realization of her love for Jake could have happened in MANY ways, this is just the way I wanted it to happen for this story ;) So did you like my idea? Not like it? I only did it because I had to have Edward witness said dream- I love (as you've probably realized by now) writing awkward, emotionally intense moments. So I hope it was worth it!

And my apologies for this chapter- I have re-edited it almost everyday this week! Sometimes I felt it was a bit all over the place (Renesmee's POV, not Jacob's) probably because Ness was trying to work out what her father was feeling (sadness, guilt, anger, fear), as well as cope with her own feelings of regret and sorrow on her father's behalf. So I apologise if it wasn't as smooth a section as I usually write!

Next chapter you will find out more detail about what Ness actually dreamed (it is not explicit), how much she knows about imprinting etc, so of course the next chapter is a Ness/Jake chapter, so I hope you enjoy it! It's called: 'Forever' and I will post it up on Wednesday (I will be updating on Wednesdays from now on as I have to get up early on Tuesday mornings so won't have time to update anymore). Anyway, please let me know your thoughts about this chapter :) and don't forget to review. And if you have any questions about where a particular character is at or if something doesn't make sense, please, please let me know!


	25. Chapter 24 Forever

Author's note: Thank you all so much for your amazing reviews on the previous chapter. I am so glad that I am taking my story in a direction you all seem to really appreciate and one that shows a plausible way these events could have occurred in canon. I am also happy that the maturity under which I wrote the previous chapter was appreciated by a few of you. This one will be as mature, and although slightly more detailed, I hope you will find it appropriate.

So once again I am nervous about this chapter- it's a big one because Ness finally finds out about imprinting and Jake's love for her. So please, please share your thoughts with me when you're done :)

Response to reviews:

Sweetie7smiled: Thank you so much for your review! I couldn't stop smiling when I saw it come up in my inbox, so thank you! I already replied to your review in a PM so I won't go through it all again, but I just wanted to say once again that I am thrilled you loved the chapter. I hope you like this one too! *Fingers crossed*.

Eruhin: I love how each of your reviews reflect precisely my favourite moments of my own chapters :) Your reviews are always amazing to read. Yes, I really wanted to flip the situation over so now Edward needs to trust Jacob with Renesmee. I am so glad you felt Edward's reaction was a reasonable one, where it still reflects his love for his daughter, without being overly protective. I really tried to make his reaction as reasonable as possible- he wouldn't want to ruin the moment for Ness. And I am relieved you felt it was realistic for her to realise her feelings quickly like that. And your review was thought provoking for me; I definitely agree that imprinting would have probably influenced her dream ie. The Fates were saying: 'Okay it's time for these two to move to the next stage of their lives together'. It's definitely a nice idea and I think that is the way it would work :) I really hope you enjoy this chapter and you feel I have done it justice. Please let me know!

Yoda11: Yes, you are so right, Ness is more mature, physically and mentally, than when she was as a child, so naturally her feelings/thoughts would tend more towards love rather than friendship :) I hope you enjoy this chapter and that it lives up to your expectations! Please let me know! I can't wait to hear from you :)

'Trust me'

Chapter 24- Forever

Jacob's POV

The closer I got to Ness' room, the more elated I felt. It took everything I had not to bound up the stairs and burst through the door; I was trying to stay cool, calm and collected. I don't know if I pulled it off externally, but inside, I definitely failed at being all three. Bella and Edward didn't say much on their way out, but by the looks on their faces, I could tell that there was hope for me- that now was the time to tell Ness what I, as well as the Cullens and my pack have known for so many years: that she is my imprint.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I paused to take a deep breath, which I succeeded in doing, though the ridiculously huge grin on my face didn't help matters. Shaking my head, I forced myself to be serious; I could have misinterpreted Bella and Edward's signals, not to mention that imprinting was a big deal and not something I could just blurt out. I needed to stay in control. So I took another breath, and then walked into Nessie's room, closing the door behind me.

My imprint was sitting on her bed, her large brown eyes wide as she stared at my face, and then at my arm. She leapt off the bed and rushed over to me. She stopped when she was a foot away and gently ran her hand over my damaged, bandaged wrist.

"Oh Daddy," she whispered, shaking her head. I couldn't tell if she was upset with, or for him.

"Nessie, I'm fine, I promise," I consoled her. She looked up at my face again, and I couldn't help but grin; I was so happy to finally see her after what happened that morning.

Ness returned my smile with one of her own before breaking eye contact with me to examine my other arm and the rest of my body by walking around me.

"Are you in pain? Is anything else broken?" she persisted, as if she was a little disappointed that Edward didn't tell her about my arm.

"It's just my wrist, Ness. Your father insisted on bandaging it up for me- now it looks worse than it actually is," I tried to convince her.

"What happened down there? I heard you yell, were you in pain?" she asked, concerned.

I felt my eye brows crease in confusion. "Didn't your father tell you why I yelled?"

Ness stared off into the distance, and I knew she was backtracking through her memories to see if he had. Eventually she shook her head.

"No, I just assumed that you were both arguing…" she trailed off. I could tell she wanted to say more, but then thought the better of it after having a moment to pause.

When I realised she wasn't going to continue, I explained:

"Well we weren't really arguing; it was more of a misunderstanding."

_To put it mildly, _I thought to myself.

At this, Nessie's eyes widened as she nodded her head absentmindedly; she knew what the misunderstanding was. Renesmee then focused back on my face, and I could see that she was worried… worried that _I_ knew what the misunderstanding was. I decided to distract her from her anxiety, by answering her original question.

"I was in pain, but that's not why I yelled…" I clarified for her.

Ness nodded slowly, lost in thought. I would have given anything to know what she was thinking, but I didn't want to try and force it out of her.

Instead, I kept the conversation going; the sooner things were out in the open, the sooner I could hope to hear the words I'd only ever dreamed of hearing from Nessie.

"I- I suppose your dad told you what he saw?"  
>Ness nodded her head, but when she looked at my face, she froze, her own face paralysed as she slowly raised her hand to touch my skin.<p>

Her worry was clear: _Do you know what he saw?_

I couldn't help it- I had to grin.

My response made Ness nervous and embarrassed; she looked away from me, blushing; it was very personal after all.

I used my good arm to keep her close to me; I couldn't let her go away feeling uncomfortable, not until she knew the truth.

"Hey, it's okay," I muttered gently to her, my fingers grazing over the top of her hand. "Let me tell you what happened," I suggested.

I went to move towards her bed to sit down like we always did, but she hardly moved she was so nervous. So I walked ahead of her and sat down. I watched her closely, studying her face. Yep, she was definitely scared, not of me but of what I might say- if she only knew how I felt.

"Come," I encouraged her, patting the space on my left, hoping she would unfreeze and sit down. I was a little sad that she was going through so much uncertainty when she had nothing to fear. I wished I could have erased her anxiety by speaking the simple truth: 'I have and will always love you,' but that would freak her out; being in love was very different to being loved and I didn't know exactly how she felt about me yet.

I reached out to Ness, my palm up. Eventually she placed her warm hand in mine and she showed me that she was scared- too afraid to say the words out loud. I pulled her gently towards me in an effort to comfort her, hoping she would follow my lead.

She did, and once she sat down beside me, however hesitantly, I wrapped my left arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards my chest. I decided to ignore her racing hear (as hard as that was) and got on with the story as fast as I could so I could get to the most important part: the moment where I could ease her fear and discomfort. I hated seeing her that way- so uncertain of how I felt about her and what I thought of her provocative dream.

"When your dad came home I was in the kitchen, so walked out to say 'hi'. He was standing still and very tense- you know how vampires do." Ness nodded. "I asked him what was happening, but he didn't answer- it's like I wasn't there. I tried to gain his attention by talking, waving my hands in front of his face, but nothing worked. I had no idea what was wrong with him. I then made the mistake of telling him I was me. The moment he heard my name, he grabbed my wrist and wouldn't let go. I called for your mum when I realised he wasn't going to release me. She got there fast and when she couldn't distract him, she ran upstairs to shield you to see if it would make a difference. It did, and Edward let go. But the moment he saw me, he pinned me up against the wall furious at me for whatever he thought I did. Your mum pulled him off me and together we managed to talk some sense into him, such as the fact that I had been standing next to him the entire time. Realising what he had done to my wrist, he tried to approach me, but I wouldn't let him until I knew exactly what had happened to him. That is when I yelled: 'What the hell was wrong with you?' And then you woke up I think."

"I woke up when he 'pinned' you against the wall. But it sounded more like he threw you," Ness pointed out, confused.

I nodded. "Yeah I guess you could say that. And yeah, Edward mentioned that you woke up before I yelled," I rectified, remembering what he told Bella and I.

"Are you okay?" she asked me worriedly as she walked around to examine my back.

"I'm fine Ness, don't fuss," I chuckled, turning around and then holding her hands in mine before she found the bruises on my back.

Nessie looked down at the delicate way I was holding her right hand with my damaged left one.

"I am so sorry he hurt you Jake- it was my fault," Ness mumbled, her voice so quiet it was as if she'd forgotten how to speak.

When I heard her words and saw the guilt on her face, I had to repress a sigh as my heart sank.

_Of all the things she could have felt, blame and guilt are the ones she feels most. _

Just like Bella and Edward, Ness often blamed herself for things that were not her fault. I hugged Ness to me as I whispered in her ear:

"I'm not one hundred percent sure what your dream was about, but no matter what it was, this was not your fault, Nessie."

"Well it wasn't Daddy's!" she protested as if I had to blame someone.

"I know Ness- I know," I reassured her quickly but calmly. "I saw the look on his face- he was terrified, angry, upset… he thought it was real- he made a mistake (which hardly ever happens to Edward). But if your dream _was_ real, I wouldn't blame him for acting the way he did," I told Ness honestly.

Nessie looked at me horrified, and I was a little taken aback.

"I don't blame your father, Nessie!" I said defensively wondering if I had said something against Edward without realising it.

But Ness shook her head, her eyes staring into mine as she reached out to touch my hand.

The same fear I felt from her before was there as I felt it encompass me- it was not a nice feeling.

_You know, _she told me flatly, and then wondered how much I knew. _Did Daddy tell you everything? _She asked, not really believing her father would do such a thing after the conversation they had. It made me wonder what did happen between Edward and Ness- I could only hear snippets from downstairs.

I chuckled, I couldn't help it.

"He didn't tell me anything actually, but from the way he was talking, I eventually worked it out- well, I'm not one hundred percent sure," I clarified, to a horrified Ness. "But when I came up with an answer, your father did not deny my idea."

"And- and what was your idea?" Ness whispered so quietly I could hardly hear her, but her cheeks had gone pink and her heart was racing.

"Don't be nervous or embarrassed," I whispered soothingly to her, holding her hands in mine, bending over slightly so I could see into her eyes.

She looked up at me, her eyes cautious, and her face was completely still.

I thought it would be weird to say what I knew out loud, but once I started, it wasn't so bad, probably because what I was saying was something I hoped to happen one day.

"You had a dream about me- about us almost having sex… right?"

Ness nodded, her eyes studying me carefully as if waiting for me to pass judgment or say her dream was wrong or weird, but of course I didn't feel any of those things. She begun to bite her lip, her eyes still locked on mine and I knew she was thinking about something. I decided not to say anything and wait for her to speak.

Suddenly, Nessie's grip tightened around my hand; although her hands were small compared to mine, she was strong. I was about to ask what was wrong, but then I saw an image of us together on her bed… naked. I gasped at how vivid it was- no wonder Edward thought it was real. I don't look at myself in the mirror much, but I was almost certain that her image of me was ninety-nine percent accurate. And her body was so perfect, so beautiful, it rendered me speechless.

I felt my eyes widen; I was stunned into silence, but I wanted to see more. By this time my heart was pounding in anticipation as if I were watching a movie where I really wanted something to happen.

But I didn't see what I thought I would see; I saw and felt something far better. Ness and I were lying side by side on her bed, her naked body nestled up against mine, her small hands on my chest, my arms wrapped loosely around her. I could feel how content and happy she was lying in my arms. Her thoughts made it clear that she trusted me and wanted to share herself with me; that is what sex meant to her.

I closed my eyes and focused on what I could feel in my own heart and in hers. But when I did this, Renesmee stopped remembering her vivid dream, and replaced it with an image of what she could see- my face.

_I don't know where my feelings came from, _she clarified, apparently afraid that my sudden reflection meant that I disapproved of her dream.

Despite the myriad of emotions I was feeling, of which there were several, I could hear how desperate Nessie was to hear how I felt about the portion of dream she showed me. Although I opened my eyes to show her I was okay, I couldn't speak- I wanted to remember that moment forever in case, for whatever reason, it never became a reality for us. As I was trying to organise my own feelings, including my hopes for our future, my eyes glazed over with tears. Immediately I felt Nessie inch closer to me.

"Jake?" she whispered. I re-focused so my eyes were on her concerned ones. "I- I'm sorry," she whispered, bowing her head to avoid my gaze. "I didn't mean to shock you... that was a bit much, wasn't it? I should have warned you what I was planning to do. Don't feel bad if you don't like me the way I like you," she pleaded with me, clearly concerned by the tears that were slowly sliding down my face.

I extended my hand towards her so I could grab hers which were wringing incessantly in her lap.

"You did take me by surprise," I allowed, my eyes penetrating hers. I heard Ness whimper, her face pointing downwards again. "But," I trailed on, lifting her head up gently with my finger, "that doesn't mean I didn't like what I saw," I murmured.

_God if she only knew._

"Oh..." Ness stared at me with her brown eyes wondering whether I was going to say anything else. But I was not going to lead her; I wanted to hear what _she_ wanted just in case my feelings for her had somehow clouded my interpretation of her behaviour.

"Did you- did you want to be with me?" she stammered. I only had time to smile in response before she continued waffling. "Mom and Dad know how I feel and they are okay with us being together, but I know I'm much younger than you, so perhaps it will be weird for you? Maybe Quil and Embry and your dad may not approve? You don't have to answer straight away, I can-"

"Stop," I interrupted her, chuckling to myself because she was working herself up for nothing. If she had stopped talking for a second, I could have answered her, and then she wouldn't have to torture herself any longer!

"Stop," I whispered again, running my hand up and down her arm.

Ness forced herself to stay silent, her jaw dropped slightly as she glared at me with anticipation.

I gave Ness my best smile. "I would love to be with you."

And never have I said something that was so true.

I was expecting her to return my smile, leap up and wrap her arms around my neck, but instead my assertion was met with disbelief.

"Really?" she asked, and I could hear how much she doubted my words, no matter how genuine they sounded to her.

"Really," I replied simply.

Nessie's eyes tightened as she continued to watch me- her expression reminded me a lot of Edward.

"You have nothing else to say? No worries, or fears, or concerns about what the pack will say?" she asked gently as if she were trying to convince me that it was okay to have qualms. It amazed me to realise that the only person who would be surprised about my returning her love is her. So, I was starting to run out of reasons not to tell her about imprinting.

"Trust me," I asserted gently, "no one will have a problem."

Nessie's eyes widened. "They should," she blurted out, but then immediately began to blush with guilt that she felt others should have a problem with our relationship.

"But they don't; the only thing that matters is how _you_ feel about it," I entreated Ness as I gently leaned towards her. "So, how do you feel about me?" I asked my voice shaking with anticipation and hope.

"I feel... I feel I want my dream to come true," she muttered, furiously blushing now, her eyes staring at the floor. I pulled her into a hug, her ear resting against my chest.

"I want that too," I whispered into her hair.

Together we sat in silence for a couple of minutes; I could tell Nessie was doing some intense thinking. Eventually she asked me:

"How long have you wanted to be with me?"

A few responses popped into my mind as I thought about her question. Naturally, my instinct was to say: 'since the day you were born', but that wasn't quite true. When she was a baby, all I really wanted was to be a part of her life, even as her friend. So when did I want her to be my girl friend? It eventually came to me.

"Since this morning; the moment I deduced from Edward what you were dreaming of, that's when I knew."

"So you only like me because I like you?" she tried to summarise, a hint of disappointment in her voice. To her, I suppose that's what it would sound like, but it was unbelievably far from the truth.

"No Nessie; it's simpler than that," I whispered, my chin resting on her head as I hugged her tightly to me. "I want whatever you want."

"But why?" she almost demanded, and I knew I needed to tell her about imprinting before she thought I was crazy. And yet, it almost upset me that she was so shocked given how much time we have spent together since she was born; surely she realised she was more than just a girl I enjoyed being with- that I was more than a good family friend? But then I remembered who Nessie's parents were- both Edward and Bella needed reassuring- needed evidence that they were loved by the other, because one felt guilt and shame for what they were, whilst the other felt unworthy of being loved by such a creature. But I didn't think Ness was insecure; I always thought her gift allowed her to be confident with herself because she was able to attract so many people to her. But at that time, she had the mental age of a teenager, so perhaps this was an adolescent thing?

Instead of answering her immediately, which was extremely difficult because the words: 'you are my imprint' were on the tip of my tongue, I gently moved her further up her bed so we could lie down properly; this was going to take a while to explain.

"Come here," I encouraged her, which she did without hesitation; she could sense I was about to answer her in detail. I hugged Ness to my side as we lay together on her bed, our backs up against the headboard. She laid her head on my shoulder as I ran my fingers up and down her arm.

"I want what you want because you are my imprint," I whispered to her, knowing full well that the word 'imprint' wouldn't mean much to her.

"I'm your imprint?" Ness repeated, moving off my shoulder to rest on her elbow so she could see my face.

"Yeah," I grinned, waiting for her to ask more questions.

"What- what does that even mean?"

"Well, it's a wolf thing-"

Ness' eyes narrowed, trying to make sense of the way I was trying, but not really trying, to explain what she means to me. "So only wolves have imprints?"

"Only wolves can have imprints, but not all of them do," I clarified.

"Who else has an imprint?" Ness enquired; a question which surprised me; I was expecting her to ask me again what an imprint was, but somehow I had the feeling she already knew because of how she felt about me. Even so, I knew she'd be shocked when I answered her; clearly she didn't suspect how intertwined some of my pack members were to their partners.

"Oh uh… let's see," I paused, thinking. "Sam, Quil, Paul and Jared."

"Really? So would that mean that Emily is Sam's imprint, Claire is Quil's, Rachel is Paul's, and Kim is Jared's?"

"Yup!"

"And I'm yours?" she repeated, staring into my eyes. I returned her gaze, but then, feeling embarrassed, she turned shyly away from me and continued her pondering:

"Sam and Emily are married, Kim and Jared are engaged, Rachel and Paul live with your father, and Claire- she's only 8!" Renesmee asserted looking horrified.

"Imprinting doesn't take age into account," I informed her, laughing at her expression. I was half tempted to mention that she was only 6, but decided not to go there just yet.

"That must be hard for both families involved; it would be difficult to accept… Sam and Emily, Rachel and Paul, Kim and Jared are okay because their imprints are the same age as them, but us and Quil and Claire- you must have had a hard time convincing my parents…"

I laughed, I couldn't help it; her comment made me remember all those years ago when I was petrified Edward would try to bar me from seeing Ness, and when Bella was centimetres from tearing me apart. The convincing wasn't the hard part for them; it was accepting my feelings that was difficult.

"Actually, I was pretty lucky; your father's gift meant that I didn't have to convince him how strong imprinting is- he could hear it in my thoughts, and he knew enough about wolves by then to know that we cannot control who we imprint on."

Ness moved a little away from me so she could sit up on the bed cross-legged and gaze into my eyes. I could tell she was curious and very ready to hear all about it.

"Tell me how it all started, what was it like? How old was I?" the way she spoke it was as if imprinting was magic to her, and I suppose it was; I certainly wasn't going to deny it.

I chuckled. "Imprinting is like a 'love at first sight' thing. I imprinted on you the first time I saw your face," I murmured, as I reached out to touch Nessie's cheek. She placed her hands over mine, holding my hand to her skin. She closed her eyes and suddenly I could see what she was remembering: the first time she saw me from Rosalie's arms. Like all vampires, Ness had inherited the perfect memory trait. She fast forwarded through her recollections, vivid image, after vivid image until she stopped at one of Rosalie's face. She looked concerned, not staring at Nessie like I thought she would have been, but at whoever was holding her: me.

_Thank you Bells._

Then Nessie remembered feeling my lips touch the top of her head. I relived the moment with her, as Ness remembered her baby self turning around in my arms so she could see my face. She was looking up at me, her little hands reaching up to point at the tears that were slowly tumbling down my face, urgently trying to touch my neck. Tears of joy- of unspeakable happiness was clear on my face.

To see that moment through Nessie's eyes reminded me how much her presence in my life has made me feel complete.

_I'm not sad; I'm _very _happy…_

Renesmee stopped remembering and removed her hands from mine. But I left my palm on her cheek as I opened my eyes. I knew my eyes were swimming in tears- they had been ever since Renesmee remembered turning around to look at me, but I wasn't expecting to feel Ness' tears on my fingers.

"That was the moment wasn't it? When you thanked Momma for fighting for me? You really were happy to see me," Ness said in wonder, her voice high with emotion.

I nodded wholeheartedly, as I ran my thumb along Ness' cheek wiping away her tears. "When you were born, I had witnessed so much- had been through so much. I was worried sick about Bella- I still loved her, and I wondered what all the pain was for. I had split off from my pack, and I was concerned your father would lose his mind with guilt and unimaginable hurt if Bella didn't make it."

Ness turned away from me, my hand falling from her face, and I realised too late that I'd said too much.

"Nessie," I gently spoke to her, reaching out to touch her hand. She turned back to look at me, her eyes still swimming in tears just like mine. "But the moment I saw your face, your eyes the exact colour of your mother's- eyes I already loved, and your smell so similar to your father's- the only vampire scent I associated with comfort, I knew immediately what it was all for, my life finally made sense. We all suffered so that you-"  
>"But that's horrible!" Nessie objected, interrupting me before I could say more.<p>

"But you were _so_ worth it, Ness and you still are," I gently spoke to her, bending down slightly so I could look her in the eye. When she didn't reply, apparently overwhelmed by how much joy she had given me and her parents, I pulled her into a one-armed hug to comfort her.

"I can't be worth all that, Jake," she whispered into my chest.

"Do you really believe that? Haven't you noticed the way your parents look at you?" I entreated her, and then moved my lips to kiss the top of her head. "They know, every second of their existence, that you were worth everything they went through, Nessie," I whispered, my lips still resting amongst her beautiful bronze curls.

"But they are my parents; they have to love me," she insisted pulling away from me to stare beseechingly into my eyes as if trying to make me understand how her parents' love was different from my own.

While I could not deny that my love for Nessie was different from her parents', the intensity our love was undeniably equal in that it is unconditional.

"I… you… Ness," I finally managed to blurt out, "you are my _life_. I will _always_ love you," I told my imprint in a desperate attempt to convince her that she mean as much to me as she does to Bella and Edward. Much to my surprise, I felt a tear trickle down my face.

Nessie noticed with a start and moved closer to me, wanting to comfort me, but I pressed on, speaking with so much feeling I was afraid I would start to cry. "That moment you just remembered is one of the most important of my life; my reason for living is for you- to make sure you were happy, safe, and loved. I knew, from that moment on, that everything I did would be for you. To be a part of your life was all I wanted. It is beautiful, though a little scary too, to be so connected to someone without even truly knowing them- to need to see someone everyday, where every thought and feeling is about that person. My love for you is unconditional; you are my other half, my true love and all the other mushy stuff. It's all true- the fairytale comes true for some of us," I finished feeling really emotional, as I wiped my tears away.

Nessie was also moved by what I'd said, her lips trembled with feeling. I wrapped both my arms around her and pulled her close to me.

"I believe you," she whispered into my chest. "I'm sorry for upsetting you."

I exhaled slowly, feeling beyond relieved.

We sat in silence for a while, lost in our own thoughts.

"So Daddy knew all of this soon after I was born? He's known for the last 6 years?" Nessie confirmed with me, the amazement in her voice was unmistakable.

"That's right," I whispered into her hair.

"No wonder why he and Momma weren't surprised when I told them how I felt… they weren't even concerned about the age gap."

"Because they've had 6 years to get used to the idea," I replied nodding to reinforce her understanding.

"Do you think it was hard for them to accept how you felt about me?" Ness ventured timidly, afraid of what I would say.

"They knew, or at least, your father knew that all I wanted was to be a part of your life- nothing romantic, just to be with you. It was hard for them to share you with me, but it didn't take them long to realise that I would protect you with my life."  
>Ness nodded, and then leaned up on her elbow so she could see my face. "I remember the battle against the Volturi- I remember Momma and Daddy saying goodbye after placing me on your back. They trusted you then."<p>

I nodded. "See? It didn't take them long."

"Perhaps this did all happen for a reason; our lives are pretty perfect," she thought out loud.

"I totally agree, Nessie."

Renesmee grinned at me, and then resumed her position next to me as she rested her head on my shoulder.

"Who else knows about imprinting? Does Grandpa Carlisle, Grandma Esme, and every one else at the big house know?"

"They all know," I replied nodding. "They have known ever since you were born. Your Aunt Rosalie and I used to fight over you, do you remember?"

Nessie laughed musically, running her finger up and down my arm as she reminisced. Next thing I knew, I saw myself and Rosalie scowling at each other, arguing over who would feed Ness and who would hold her.

Ness cringed.

"I'm sorry for biting you."

I kissed the top of her head, laughing quietly.

"It didn't hurt, and besides, we were the ones apologising; all we could think about was our own wants, rather than your needs. But let's face it; we were definitely fighting over someone special."

Ness pressed her face into my torso, clearly embarrassed. I ran my fingers through her bronze ringlets, as I said:

"And besides, it was in that moment that I realised how lucky I was; I could give you something no one else could: blood."

"Jake…" Nessie mumbled into my chest, clearly disgusted.

"Hey, it was cute back then, and don't discount it; it made me feel special," I asserted proudly and lovingly.

"Well, as long as you weren't disgusted by it…" Nessie trailed off sounding uncertain about whether it genuinely didn't bother me.

"I thought it would, but it wasn't. If I could give you something you needed, that's all that mattered to me, regardless of the costs."

"And that's why you've always been around? Why I see you everyday? You want to be here for me?"

"Yes, and because you are a part of me; my life has no meaning without you in it," I reminded her gently.

Nessie paused, her hand resting on my arm. Unintentionally, she remembered back to earlier that morning when she had woken up from her dream. I saw in her mind that she tried to imagine what life would be like without me; she couldn't imagine it either. Ness didn't talk to me about this memory of hers, and I decided not to bring it up- seeing it and hearing her thoughts was enough for me.

"I'm so glad Daddy didn't make you stay away all those years ago," she whispered, as she wrapped her arms around me.

"I am definitely grateful to him for not trying; it would have made life difficult for me and perhaps for you too. But having said that, Edward knew he couldn't _actually_ keep me away from you; he wouldn't dare think of it because not only had I developed an attachment to you, but you already considered me a part of your family."

"Which you _are_," Ness insisted. "And…" I could see that Nessie was remembering something, her thoughts racing through her mind and mine for she had inched her fingers under my shirt. "The battle with the Volturi… Daddy called you his 'Son'."

I smiled at the memory of it; that moment was when I knew Edward had truly accepted the fact that Renesmee's fate and my own would be forever intertwined.

"Was it strange to hear him say that?" Nessie asked me, looking into my face trying to read my expression.

I shook my head slowly, a satisfied smile on my face. "No, it wasn't. Although he looks seventeen, he is technically old enough to be my great grandfather." Nessie laughed musically; it was strangely true. "In that moment when we felt that all was lost, and all I could think about was my grief, Edward's words were such a relief to me; to know I had his blessing, even in death, meant so much to me. But," I continued on quickly, fearing I had jumped the gun, "there's no rush, we can take it slow, it's completely up to you."

Nessie gave me a dazzling smile.

"I'll see how we go," she told me, and I had the sense she was teasing me by being vague, but I honestly didn't mind; I was still trying to process the fact that the next part of our life was just beginning.

Before I could reply, Ness asked, her lips pulled into a frown:

"How come no one told me about imprinting before? Why didn't you tell me how you felt?"

"Because your parents and I decided we didn't want my feelings to influence yours. I wanted you to make your own choice, without the pressure of knowing that you're my imprint," I explained to her.

"Are you- are you happy with that choice?" Ness asked me hesitantly.

I nodded energetically. "You have no idea how amazing it is to hear you say you want to be with me knowing that I didn't influence you in any way; this is what you want regardless of whether I loved you back or not. I have waited six years for this moment and I wouldn't change it for anything," I impressed upon my imprint as I held her small soft hands in mine. Nessie watched my thumbs run over the top of her hand, a small smile on her face.

"I didn't think dreams could be so powerful."

I chuckled. "Well yours was a very vivid one; just seeing those few seconds showed me, in the most amazing way possible, what our future could be like. There is nothing I wouldn't give to have that with you. Your dream showed me what I could have, and I truly hope we will some day."

Ness raised her head so she could gaze into my eyes, probably to see whether I was being genuine or not.

"You really do want to be with me," she stated in awe, never taking her eyes away from mine.

"More than anything," I murmured lovingly, our eyes remaining locked for what seemed like minutes, when it was really seconds.

It took everything I had not to lean forward and kiss Nessie, even on the cheek, and I wondered whether she was thinking along similar lines. If she was, she was purposefully hiding her wishes from me as our hands were touching. To distract myself, I lay down on Nessie's bed, pulling her gently down with me. We lay side by side in silence for a while, her head resting on my chest whilst I drew circles on her back.

I was wondering how long we had been talking for and was about to ask Ness if she was hungry when she said:

"I can't believe Daddy saw my dream."

I ran my hand along her arm to comfort her, breakfast completely forgotten.

"In a way, I'm glad he did. It was totally worth the broken wrist," I asserted in a joking way, holding up my bandaged arm. Then moving my good arm from under Ness, I sat up and removed the sling. Ness watched me with anticipation. When I was free from bandages, I flexed my hand and moved my wrist. It was as good as new.

I heard Ness breathe a sigh of relief.

I lay back down, giving Ness a smile on my way, then decided to answer her question properly.

"Edward seemed okay- he was more concerned about invading your privacy, and for hurting me, than anything else."  
>"I wish I was able to give him a bit of warning… the dream came out of nowhere- he must've been so shocked."<br>"I think 'livid' would be more accurate," I corrected her in a teasing way as I gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"Ohhh," Ness whimpered with regret. "He's been waiting for 6 years to find out whether I see you that way, and then suddenly it's forced upon him in such a vivid and shocking way!"

"Oh Nessie," I soothed her. "You know he forgives you- all he wants is for you to be happy. But it's probably moments like this when he wished he didn't have a perfect memory."  
>"Oh gosh, I know," Ness groaned. "He will never forget it!"<p>

"He told me he was seriously going to try," I laughed, knowing full well that it would be impossible.

"I've scarred my father for life!"

I continued to laugh; the situation was just too amusing to not find humour in it.

"I'm sure he'll get over it," I reassured her more seriously, and then continued on a slightly different path. "But at least I was able to reassure your father that your dream would not become a reality until the moment was right."

"Do you think Daddy thought you had lost patience waiting for me and decided to force yourself-"

"If he was thinking clearly, he would have known that I will never lose my patience when it comes to you. However, I think you are probably right- that is what he must've thought at the time. But Nessie, I promise to never do anything to harm or disrespect you. I am _always_ happy to wait until you are ready."

"I trust you; I know you will never hurt me."

"You have no idea how true that is," I whispered just before kissing the top of Nessie's head.

Once I moved my lips from her hair, Ness sat up on her elbows as she stared at me with her large, gorgeous brown eyes.

"You've been with me everyday for the past six years, are you sure you're not going to get sick of me?" she teased, her usual confidence returning to her now, though I could see she was a little worried that imprinting might fade over time.

"I'm positive," I asserted. "No matter what you do, I will always want to be a part of your life, and will love you as much as I do now."

I saw Ness grin cheekily at me, and then she pursed her lips in contemplation, a soft 'hmmm' coming from her throat.

"Even if I did something really embarrassing like run to La Push and act like a chicken in front of your brothers and your dad?" Nessie joked as she leapt off her bed. I took her getting up to mean that she wanted to see Edward and Bella, and no doubt the rest of the Cullens, to share her happiness with them. To be honest, I couldn't wait to do the same, so I followed suit.

Standing so that we were on opposite sides of her bed, I leaned over and said:

"Even if you told my brothers that I just cried like a girl- multiple times," I stopped speaking just to relish in Nessie's beautiful laugh, "I would love you, as my friend or my partner, forever."

"Forever?" she echoed, her face serious now, and I could tell she was wondering if the literal sense of 'forever' was possible.

I nodded. "As long as I continue to phase, I will be immortal," I answered her silent question.

Nessie's eyes brightened, clearly thrilled that our life together does not have a foreseeable end; it will last for eternity.

"Now, are you sure you aren't going to get sick of _me_; don't you want some new friends? Perhaps some your own age?" I ventured, a grin plastered on my face, even though I knew I was possibly stepping into dangerous territory.

But Nessie didn't have to think about her answer.

"Nope, all I want is you… forever," she told me proudly, her eyes bright with happiness as she closed the gap between us by coming to my side of her bed. She stopped right in front of me, so we were only inches apart. Slowly, cautiously, Ness wrapped her arms around my neck, her beautiful brown eyes staring into mine. I knew what she wanted, so I bent down towards her. As I did so, my heart pounded like crazy inside my chest, I could barely control my anticipation. Eventually, after three agonising seconds, I felt her warm, smooth lips on my own. We kissed tenderly, nothing too passionate or forceful, but nice and gentle. It lasted for only a second but it was amazing: our first kiss.

All too soon, Ness pulled away from me, and I could see her looking eagerly at me as if to see how I would react to our kiss. The moment had rendered me speechless, and all I could do was laugh with indescribable glee. I thought Ness would wonder what was wrong with me, but instead, she joined in, her musical laughter filling the room.

I hugged her to me.

"Wow," I whispered into her ear. Ness giggled at my reaction as she hugged me tightly back. Our first kiss… I couldn't quite believe that things were finally happening for us; I had waited so long for this moment. It was strange to hear myself talk about forever, and even more amazing to hear Nessie speak of it when we had only just admitted our feelings to each other. And yet, the concept didn't scare her; it was what she wanted, and _that _was the most precious gift of all.

Slowly, Ness unwound her arms from my waist and gently took my hand in hers, her fingers interlocked with mine. Unspeakable happiness and joy filled me when I felt Nessie's joy at the prospect of telling her family what had happened, as she dragged me by the hand down the stairs.

As we ran to the white house, I could see images from Nessie's mind due to us holding hands. Her overwhelming happiness and excitement equalled my own, and that in itself was unbelievable to me. She was thinking about the kiss we just had, wondering when we would be able to share another precious moment like that one. She was wondering where we would go on our first date, and whether Aunt Alice was going to take her shopping for clothes. Her mind filled with anticipation as she pondered if there were other secrets I had that she didn't know about yet, and finally, she hoped that her family would be happy for her when she told them her amazing news.

And in that moment, I knew, like I have always known, that if she could be mine for even half of forever, I would be the luckiest guy on Earth.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note: As I alluded to in the previous chapter, I imagine Ness' dream as being a catalyst for her feelings- her unconscious mind telling her that she wants to be with Jake and to do something about it. From the reviews I have received from you all, I feel that most of you agree with me :) Yay!

Also, I hope you like the way I have characterised Renesmee; her personality obviously influenced her reaction to Jake's love. I don't envisage her normally being so unsure of herself, but like Bella with Edward, I see her finding it difficult to believe Jake could love her so unconditionally, so needed a bit of convincing, just like her parents did :)

In terms of imprinting being kept a secret, I envisage (given it was never really mentioned in the books) that by general consensus, imprints are not told they are the imprint of another until they themselves form a love interest in their wolf. And of course, as Ness was only young when Jake imprinted on her, no one would suggest a romantic relationship between them anyway unless they wanted to be shot by Edward! I imagine imprinting would be hard to keep a secret, but essentially no one had said the word 'imprint' within her ear shot and no one suggested Jake had a special relationship with her- he's just a pat of their family and was her primary source of amusement when she was young. So I hope this sounds plausible to you :)

Thanks so much for reading; I really hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter is called: 'Trust me' (I like to mirror the title of my story by naming one of the chapters after said title), and it takes place two years after this one. There will be a flashback in the coming chapter, but I can tell you now that I won't be showing any of Jake/Ness' dates or anything like that. I will explain my reasons for this at the end of the story. Four more chapters of 'Trust me' to go! I hope you're enjoying the journey :D Please remember to review, I so can't wait to hear your thoughts on this one! Thank you all so much! I will post up the next chapter on Saturday.


	26. Chapter 25 Trust me

Author's note: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed on my previous chapter. I am SO glad you all liked Jake and Nessie's sweet moment together as they shared their feelings for one another.

As I mentioned at the end of the previous chapter, this one takes place 2 years later. You can probably guess what this one will be about. I don't want to give too much away, so I won't say what I am particularly nervous about in this chapter (two things actually), but it involves another big moment for Jacob at least :) But I did enjoy writing this chapter; I hope you can see why as you read it!

Happy reading! I really hope you enjoy it! And remember to review when you're done!

Reply to reviews:

Sweetie7smiled: That's so interesting because I could only imagine her not knowing anything about it. I didn't know that Ness was within earshot of Bella yelling at Jake re. his imprinting on her. I will have to read Breaking Dawn again! Though if she was in earshot, you'd be right as she does have a perfect memory (in my mind anyway!). I'm glad you think they would have wanted it to 'play out' so Ness could make up her own mind re. her feelings for Jake. And thank you so much for reviewing, you know how much I appreciate it!

Eruhin: As always, I really enjoyed reading your review! I am so glad you were able to pick up the purposes behind what Jake was saying and doing such as making sure she actually acknowledged her love for _he _said anything. When I wrote this chapter, I sat there wondering when Jacob would have wanted to be with Ness romantically, and the answer I eventually used was the only plausible one I could think of! I really think _that _is what imprinting is :) I'm so glad you agree! And I enjoyed writing about Ness' insecurities; given who her parents are, it's not too hard to imagine she may be similar! And YES, the 'son' moment in BD was also one of my favourite parts, and it comes up again in this chapter ;) so I hope you enjoy that moment! And yes, there is some Edward/Jake in this part! Enjoy!

ZenNoMai: I'm so glad giddy is a good thing! I hope enjoy this chapter too!

Yoda11: I'm so glad you liked my version of Ness' reaction. I can't believe that some people have wrote that she chooses a 'human life' or explores other possibilities… I guess I am someone who enjoys writing and reading within canon, so to me, Ness wouldn't _do _those things. I assure you that this choice they've made won't hurt them at all :) I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Trust me

Chapter 25- Trust me

Jacob's POV

2 years later

At 8am on the dot, like I have every morning for the past 5 years, I knocked on the cottage door. Today I had a mission which I was determined to complete, though it may be tricky to keep it a secret from Ness… and from Edward- for now.

Normally Nessie would be waiting for me in the living room, which meant she would fling the door open and give me a good morning hug and kiss the moment she heard my footsteps. But today I actually had to wait two seconds before someone opened the door, and Bella let me in. I studied my friend closely wondering where her daughter was. But before I could ask, Bella started laughing at my confusion.

"She's over at the big house, Jake; Alice visited this morning and insisted that she try on a birthday dress she and Rose bought her."

"But Nessie's birthday is not for another month," I pointed out.

Bella looked at me, one of her eyebrows raised. "Do you know Alice at all? It will probably take a month for her to find the perfect dress for Renesmee," she sighed however lovingly.

"Ha! Yeah probably," I agreed. "And where is Edward?"

"Out hunting with Emmett and Jasper; we are forbidden to see her potential birthday dress, so the boys decided to hunt together."

"So I suppose that means I am forbidden to go over there then?"

"Yep, sorry Jake; Alice stationed me here specifically to stop you."  
>I sighed. "Well I guess I can wait; there's something I wanted to tell you anyway," I told Bella, as I struggled to keep my nerves under control.<p>

Bella watched me intensely for a moment, her lips turning up into a smile. I was willing to bet anything that she already knew what I wanted to say just from the way I was acting.

"Okay Jake, just hang on a moment; I need to finish cleaning up a bit, then we can talk," she said politely, and I knew she wasn't palming me off, she just wanted to get things done so she could focus on what I had to say without being distracted.

Bella began running around the house faster than I could see; clothes seem to magically disappear, and the vacuum cleaner would be on one second then off the next. I decided to make myself comfortable on the couch so I could clear my mind in preparation for what I wanted to say to Bella.

While I sat there, I remembered the moment from two years ago when Nessie and I went to the big house after our talk together. She sprinted into the room where all of the Cullens were standing around talking, undoubtedly about us. I couldn't help but laugh as I watched Nessie jump excitedly into Bella's arms as she shrieked with happiness.

"You knew didn't you, Momma? You've always known," she half laughed, half cried as Bella hugged her back, smiling broadly.

"Yes, Sweetie; we've always known Jake was made for you."

I could barely move for staring at Ness. And in fact, I didn't move from the living room door for half an hour; I was so engrossed in watching her. The only thing I did think of that wasn't solely to do with my imprint was whether the rest of the Cullens knew exactly what happened over at the cottage. I look towards Edward, who subtly shook his head. I knew he was answering my unspoken thought. I was relieved when I saw his answer because _that_ could have been awkward for all involved. Given that my wrist was back to normal, no one would ever know anyway, and I hoped it would stay that way, at least for a while.

After she finished hugging Bella, Ness stood in front of Edward, and I noticed everyone was watching them closely; he was listening to her thoughts. Eventually Edward spoke: "You are very welcome, Darling; I could not deprive you of so much happiness." I would have to ask Ness what she said to Edward, but I imagined she was thanking him for letting me stay around and for accepting my love for her. Then Ness must have been showing Edward something different, because I could tell that he was in another place, completely engrossed in his daughter's memories. I watched as a smile played on Edward's mouth as he relived some moment or other of Nessie's. And then I saw Edward tense for a moment, but then the next second he relaxed again; Ness had stopped remembering.

_What had she shown him?_

I was eagerly waiting to see what would happen next, and was shocked to see Edward's eyes avert to mine; Ness must have showed him a part of our conversation.

"I know," Edward told his daughter with gentle certainty, though his eyes stayed locked on me. I was a little freaked out, but thankfully Ness distracted him by giving her father a final hug, whispering "thank you, Daddy," before moving on to her aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

And still I couldn't move as I watched Ness touch the hands of her audience one at a time, and showed them a memory which lasted for about two minutes. I had no idea which moment she was revisiting, but I didn't care; whatever it was, it was her happiest moment of the past hour and I was so glad to have been a part of it.

After Ness let her go, Alice was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet, sharing in her niece's excitement.

"This is so exciting Nessie! I'm so glad we don't have to keep it a secret anymore!"

She grasped Ness around the waist then spun her around, their tinkling laughs filled up the room. Eventually Alice was able to let Ness go, but not before whispering in her ear: "We need to go on a shopping spree!"

"I can't wait!" Nessie exclaimed giving Alice one final hug before grabbing on to Jasper's hands. I could already tell that Jasper could feel Nessie's joy to an overwhelming level; his smile was infectious and he seemed unable to alter his features. Once he had seen all Ness had showed his partner, Jasper told Ness with more sincerity than I have ever heard him speak:

"I am very glad Jacob has been able to tell you how he feels after all this time, Renesmee." And it was only then, after 6 years, that I realised that Jasper would have been affected by my imprinting too. Because it is a positive emotion, I guess I never really thought to ask Jasper whether he was affected by it. Even so, I felt, from his few words to Nessie, that he knew the truth was something I have looked forward to sharing with Ness for a long time.

"Me too," my imprint told her uncle. Her smile was dazzling.

Rosalie was next in line. She appeared curious to see what memory Ness had to offer. After Ness had let her go, Rosalie was smiling, but not in the same way that Alice and Jasper were; it was a satisfied grimace.

"I am so happy for you, Renesmee." And I was glad to hear that she meant it.

"Ha ha! It's my turn now," Emmett asserted enthusiastically as he reached out to hug Ness already before she had even shown him her memory. When her uncle released her from his bear hug, she held his hands, and stood still as he watched.

"Aww man," he whined jokingly as Nessie let him go, "Jake, you put the rest of us to shame!" There was a general peel of laughter at his assertion.

At that I must've turned red; I was so embarrassed. Ness turned to look at me over her shoulder, beaming at me. All I could do was chuckle and bow my head in my attempt to be modest in front of a group of vampires who I knew were as capable of loving their partners as much as I loved Nessie.

And last but not least were Esme and Carlisle. Of all of the Cullens, I knew they would be the most gracious and the happiest for their granddaughter without causing me embarrassment or creating a scene. Esme looked to be on the verge of tears, if it were possible, as she hugged Ness in congratulations. Carlisle also hugged his granddaughter as he bent down to whisper in her ear: "The relationship you share is one of a kind; I wish you all the happiness you deserve my dear."

And then, Ness made it back to me. I felt every eye on us, as they watched me gaze at my beautiful imprint as she glided over and leapt into my arms. I closed my eyes as I spun her around, so I could block out everyone's stares and just focus on my feelings and Nessie's. Her hands, which were on the back of my neck, allowed me to see her joy, and I couldn't believe it when I realised it almost matched my own.

"I'm so lucky to have you," I whispered into her ear, tears of joy falling down my face.

"Forever," Nessie whispered back, and then she reminded me of the final moments of our conversation together. I had no doubt that this was the memory she showed her family. I didn't care that they all new I had cried, out of happiness, multiple times. Strangely none of them laughed- I guess because they knew how I felt- how long I had waited for that precious moment to share my feelings with her.

I opened my eyes then, knowing that the Cullens would have heard our quiet whispers. All of them had an arm around their partner's waist, and I was relieved to see that they shared in our joy.

Once they were sure Ness and I had had our moment, all of the Cullens let go of their partners so they could congratulate and be happy for me, given that I was still near the door. I received a handshake and clap on the back from Carlisle and Emmett, Jasper just shook my hand, Rosalie smiled at me, Esme hugged me, and Alice was still jumping around as she hugged me too.

"I'm so relieved you've finally been able to tell her; I didn't know how much longer I could keep it a secret!" she shrieked.

"I'm with you there," I chuckled at her excitement and her relief. After giving me a final squeeze, Alice let me go and went back to my imprint to continue organising the best time to go shopping.

Bella then walked up to me, more subdued than the others for obvious reasons. She then wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me tight.

"I'm so happy for the both of you. The next stage of your lives are about to begin, and I can already tell it will be filled with laughter and so much joy. Look how happy she is," Bella whispered looking over at her daughter.

"I know, I can't believe it," I returned, in as much awe as Bella was.

When I turned back around, I saw that Edward had approached behind Bella, his hand resting on her shoulder. He let his wife stay clinging to me, and simply clapped me on the shoulder, a forced smile on his face. He then reached up and muttered in my ear:

"And so the dating begins."

I pulled away from Bella, shocked; what did he mean by that? But Edward just chuckled refusing to answer my question, and then left me to rescue his daughter from Alice so he could give her another hug.

I wondered whether Edward intended on buying a gun as a joke; I wasn't going to deprive him of that, as long as he didn't actually try to use it on me. Of course, I knew he wouldn't _really_ buy a gun, but it did cross my mind; his words almost sounded like a threat. I only had to wait a couple of days before I found out what Edward _did_ mean. It was Ness and my first date, and I was a nervous wreck. I had never been on a date before, and given how special Nessie is to me, and how _old _and _experienced _her family are, I knew I had to do something impressive, and take her somewhere really nice. Edward allowed me to choose whichever car I wanted to take Ness and me to the restaurant, but even then I was scared they would judge my choice, that Ness wouldn't like the food, or that it would be less than perfect. And the worst part was, when I arrived at the big house in long black pants and a collared shirt, wondering whether I looked okay, Edward answered the door. Ness was still with Alice and Rosalie getting ready upstairs, so I was painfully stuck with my imprint's father for a whole five minutes. I could tell by the look on his face that he knew every- single- thought- I- had. Every doubt, every fear, and I was certain he could see how much I was shaking with nerves as I stood there with a flower for Ness to put in her hair if she wanted to wear it to match me. In the end, the most nerve wracking part of the whole night was Edward's silent judgement- it was so annoying not to know what _he _was thinking. He_-_ knew- _everything,_ and I knew he liked having that small revenge. But I didn't mind; in the end, he trusted me with his daughter for the night, so I had to be happy with that. At least he got some enjoyment out of it I guess.

Anyway, that night when we finally managed to leave the larger house (now that my feelings for Ness were out in the open, everyone felt at liberty to talk about all the times when they were close to saying something about imprinting. I have to say that both Ness and I loved hearing their stories), I asked Ness what she had said or shown Edward that made him stare at me for that one strange moment when we first entered the big house after our talk.

"I showed him the same memory as everyone else: the end of our conversation when we spoke of 'forever'," she told me.

"So that's why he tensed for a moment; he saw us kiss."

"Hmm yeah, I didn't think of that, I forgot to hide that from him," Ness said somewhat guiltily.

"I think he's okay with it- he'll have to expect it now."

Nessie nodded. "But I guess I distracted him from that because straight after, I told him how much you love me and given that I am your imprint," she paused for a moment, and I could tell she was still getting used to calling herself my 'imprint', "he wouldn't have to worry about me because you'd always take care of me. That's why he said: 'I know'," she explained.

I smiled, glad that he _did_ know that, and that the look he gave me wasn't of doubt, but of acceptance as if seeing me through his daughter's eyes made him see me differently somehow…

The next time I phased, Embry, Quil, Seth, and Leah immediately knew what had taken place and were happy that I was finally able to share a part of our Tribe Lore with my imprint. I ran to La Push to share the moment with my dad, whose broad grin and chuckle told me that he was genuinely happy for me. I hadn't brought Nessie with me because she was still over at the big house talking excitedly with Alice and the rest of her family, but Dad promised to come over on the weekend to visit us.

So as I was waiting for Bella, I remembered that day, and felt that it was pretty good evidence that proposing marriage would not be too big of a stretch for the Cullens or my father to handle. Now that Nessie had stopped growing and was, for all intents and purposes, an adult, and having been on many dates together, each time taking a different car which was, in itself, awesome, and shared many stolen kisses and private moments in the cottage or when hunting, I felt that her eighth birthday would be the perfect time to propose to her. So far, no one knew of my plan, not even Edward; I had made sure I was always occupied with other things when he was around, which wasn't too difficult. But before I did anything and before I told anyone, I needed to ask Bella and Edward for their blessing. I was never usually much of a traditionalist, but having lived around Edward for so many years, I knew it was the right thing to do, and something I _wanted_ to do. Given that Bella is my best friend and after everything Edward has done for me, it's the least they deserve.

Finally, Bella finished cleaning. In reality it only took her fifteen minutes, but it felt like hours to me.

She sat on my right, though was still a fair distance away so she could see my face.

"So what's up, Jake?" she asked me kindly; she could tell I was nervous, as she leaned towards me slightly.

I cleared my throat.

"Well it's sorta good that Ness and Edward aren't around, because I was hoping to run something by you."

"Well Ness will be stuck over there for a while, and Edward's not due back for another hour."

"That's good," I breathed. "Because I wanted to tell you that I'm thinking of proposing to Nessie on her eighth birthday," I said hurriedly, my nerves getting the best of me.

Bella's face brightened, her white teeth glittering beneath her lips as she smiled at me.

"That's wonderful Jake!" she exclaimed.

"Really?" I breathed, a weight lifted off my shoulders already. "Do you think she's ready?"

Bella nodded. "I do, I think you've chosen the perfect time," she praised me warmly.

"That's good," I sighed with relief. "I was worried it was too soon."

"Well, if Edward and I had our way, we would never let her go!" Bella laughed playfully, but of course, I knew it was the truth; they wouldn't let her go for at least another eight years just so they could look after their daughter for the same amount of time human parents would.

"I know," I told Bella, really feeling for her, and dreading what Edward was going to say when I asked him. "I'm sorry Bells," I said seriously, even though she wasn't willing to be.

Bella's brows knitted together as she studied me. "Edward and I will miss her terribly, but she is meant to be with you," she impressed upon me, her voice sounded like music. "Now that Renesmee is an adult, we wouldn't begrudge her for wanting to marry you, and we wouldn't want you to feel guilty about it; Edward and I both know that this was meant to be. We would _never_ take that away from her."

"Thanks Bells," I whispered gratefully turning away to stare at my hands, relieved that at least from her I wasn't going to get any resistance.

"Have you told anyone else yet?" Bella asked me, bending forward in an effort to make eye contact with me.

I shook my head. "You're the first. I need to tell Edward though," I informed her, inwardly cringing at the look he was going to give me when I did eventually sum up the courage to ask him.

"I can't believe you managed to keep your plan a secret from him," Bella said in awe.

"I've had a bit of practice," I reminded her, especially in the last couple of years when I needed to keep my thoughts about Ness to myself.

"Hmmm, yes that's true," Bella agreed, knowing full well what I was referring to.

"I need to tell him though. When do you think would be the best time to break it to him?"

Bella laughed. "You make it sound like this is bad news."

I felt myself lift an eyebrow as I wondered whether _she_ knew her husband at all.

"Okay, okay," Bella corrected herself. "It's not the _best_ news, but you know Edward adores Renesmee; he would never deny her something so vital to her happiness," Bella told me gently, and I knew she was right, but still…

"So, I could organise for him to stay back tomorrow morning if you want? I could give him something to do when you show up; he'd never know it was a set up," Bella schemed.

Of course, that would be the easiest thing to do, but somehow I didn't feel comfortable talking to Edward in such a confined space as memories from two years ago and my battered wrist sprung to mind.

"Perhaps we could have some time to talk outside?" I side-stepped the issue, hoping Bella wouldn't notice.

Bella raised her eyebrows, and it was clear she saw right through me.

"He'll be okay with it Jake," she reminded me calmly.

I nodded. "But just in case. If we're outside, I have somewhere to run."

Bella laughed softly, and then suggested: "Well, Edward will need to hunt again in a couple of weeks. Next time he plans to go, I will let you know. Renesmee and I can go at a different time."

"Sounds good, thanks Bells," I thanked her gratefully, standing up ready to go over to the big house to see if Alice will let me in.

"No worries, Jake," she replied cheerfully, standing up and walking over to me. "I'm so happy for you and Renesmee," she whispered in my ear as she gave me a hug. "I told you you would find someone to love," she teased me, though I could tell she was happy and relieved that she was right.

I laughed, remembering back to the time in my life when all my plans, hopes, and dreams revolved around Bella. It felt like a lifetime ago, but even so, I never forgot how important that love was- without it, I may have never met Nessie.

"You were so right, though I bet you never would have dreamed that person would be your daughter!" I pointed out to her in laughter.

"That's for sure," Bella asserted, pulling away from me to look at my face. Despite the unexpected turn of events and every struggle we'd been through before and since Ness came into our lives, I was so relieved to see in her honey coloured eyes she was genuinely happy for me.

"Do you think you can keep this a secret until I've spoken to Edward?" I asked her, hoping that she would be more willing than he is at keeping the truth from her partner.

"Of course!" Bella cried playfully, hitting my arm. "I'm not going to ruin the surprise, especially for Renesmee."

"Thanks," I muttered gratefully, "I really want to surprise her on the day, so you know that means that Alice can never find out; she'd be so excited that she'll tell everyone."

"Well you never know; Alice may actually be useful to you; you know she is the one organising Renesmee's party, right?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot," I mumbled, feeling crestfallen.

"So you may want to tell her so she can determine whether she can fit your proposal into the schedule," Bella teased as we walked to the door.

I laughed. "She'd better!"

Bella laughed as well. "Of course she will."

"Okay, well once I get Edward's blessing, I'll tell her and make her promise to keep it a secret."

"I'm sure she will," Bella impressed upon me as we began to run towards the big house. "She loves surprises and even more so, she loves to watch others receiving the shock of their lives!" The two of us laughed, and although our eyes were glued to the large white house in front of us, I imagined our thoughts to be somewhere completely different.

Now all I had to do was wait a couple of weeks before I could break the news to Edward. I would have to think of a really good speech to make, but it can't be too long or I'll lose my nerve. Having known Edward for so many years, you may think it would be easy to ask for his daughter's hand, especially when he'd had eight years to get used to the idea. But it wasn't, in a way it was harder; there was more pressure to say the right thing and I had no idea what I wanted to say, but I hoped I could make a good impression on my future father-in-law…

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edward's POV

Two weeks later

"On the count of three," I whispered. "One, two, three!" On three, I sprinted towards the herd of deer lingering in the clearing some two hundred metres ahead.

In four seconds, I had grabbed the largest buck by its neck, thus claiming my victory.

Half a second later, I felt a heavy blow to my side, knocking me to the ground along with the buck I was holding. I was not expecting to be knocked over and didn't think my hunting companion would be so slow to react, unless this was a part of his plan to show his displeasure at losing… again.

_Sorry Edward, I couldn't slow down in time,_ Jacob apologised, as he bent over me so his face was right in front of my own.

"I thought you would have given up on trying to beat me by now?" I teased him, knowing full well that each hunting trip was a new opportunity for Jacob to race me… and beat me, or so he hoped. This occasion was the closest he has ever been.

_Ha! I know I can beat you, _Jacob asserted confidently._ One day something will distract you, and when that happens, I'll be ready!_

"Or you'll try to make me lose my prey by bashing into me under the pretence of being 'unable to slow down in time,'" I suggested, an eyebrow raised and a smile on my face. My catch was still wrestling within my grip.

_I'm going to pretend you didn't just accuse me of cheating! _Jacob replied in mock offence.

Then realising I was still on the ground, Jacob enquired somewhat doubtfully: _Did you need any help?_

I laughed. "I think I should be the one asking you whether you're okay. How is your shoulder?" I asked the boy, eying of his left foreleg which was responsible for knocking me down.

_Fine, though I really should try not to run into you; it's like hitting a brick wall!_

I continued to chuckle.

_So are you ever going to eat that buck? Because at the moment, it is the only animal within a 2 mile radius and I'm hungry, _Jacob warned me playfully, eying off my catch.

Gripping the neck of my buck, which was still struggling feebly in my grasp, I stood up and swiftly broke the creature's neck.

Jacob was watching me intensely, wondering whether he should go off separately to search for his own meal or whether I was willing to share.

I smiled at his speculations as I unceremoniously lifted and dropped the corpse in front of Jacob.

The wolf eyed me, feeling confused.

_Are we sharing? _He asked me in disbelief, thinking that the only time he has ever shared is with my daughter, who drank no where near as blood as me.

I nodded my head, and then bent over the neck of the large animal and began to drink its blood.

_Weird, _Jacob grunted to himself, certain that I was up to something. Once I had had a head start, he dug into the flesh of the buck, which he assessed as being not as bloody as usual, but not dry either. He didn't mind it.

Whilst he was eating, Jacob remembered the four previous occasions when we had devised a competition where we'd race to our prey, each of which Jacob had lost. However, this was the first time when Bella and Renesmee were not with us to observe and cheer us on. Jacob enjoyed the time we were spending together, he liked that I was willing to share, and I also enjoyed hunting with him. I could be more aggressive around Jacob, another male, rather than being my more swift and neat self when around my wife and daughter. I loved the freedom I felt when hunting with my brothers, and I was surprised to discover that I felt a similar way with Jacob.

Once I had drained the buck of blood, I stood up and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Jacob was still feasting on the animal, flesh dangling in between his teeth as he enjoyed eating fresh, raw meat for a change.

As I waited for the boy to finish, I thought about earlier that morning when Bella suggested I go hunting with Jacob: _alone_. Of course, I knew there was a purpose in this 'organised, but not organised' hunting party, but naturally, I could not get an explanation from Bella, and my daughter did not seem to have any idea. But having known Jacob well for the last 8 years, I had an inkling as to what this conversation would be about. It was a topic I had expected, one I knew to be inevitable, and yet, something I hoped would never come. As much as I tried, I could not gather from Jacob's thoughts the precise purpose of our hunting trip, except hunting of course. He was doing remarkably well to hide his intentions from me.

However, as it was two weeks before Renesmee's eighth birthday, I did not need my gift to deduce that presents, brand new clothes, and an extravagantly decorated backyard were not the only things my daughter would receive this year…

I forced myself to put the possibility out of my mind for now as I tried to determine whether I was still thirsty. Deciding that I was, I focused on the sounds around me to see if I could hear a doe drinking in a nearby stream. Sensing that perhaps the herd had moved upstream, though unfortunately for them, not nearly far enough away, I inched my way in that general direction while I waited for Jacob to finish his meal.

A satisfied sound came from Jacob once he had finished. Raising his head, he then trotted over to me wondering what I was doing.

"I believe the herd may have migrated further upstream," I whispered to him, most of my attention still on my future prey.

_Are you still thirsty? _

I was expecting Jacob to be shocked that I was, but he saw it as another opportunity to try beating me. I suppose the boy was allowed to dream.

"I am, though I will likely go for a doe this time. Are you still hungry?"

Jacob shook his head. _Nah I'm good for now. Thanks._

"Feel free to return to the cottage, I won't be long," I offered, knowing full well that he wouldn't leave me, but out of politeness, I felt I should still make the suggestion.

_It's cool. I'm happy to hang with you- perhaps I can catch the doe for you this time? _He suggested, grunting with laughter.

I chuckled, inclining my head towards the north and further upstream.

"You have no chance, Wolf," I muttered playfully.

_Wanna bet? _He growled back at me.

Shaking my head at how juvenile I felt, I began: "One, two, three!"

At the same time, Jacob and I leaped towards our goal. From where we were, we couldn't see the herd, and thus could not determine their distance from us. I used all of my senses to gauge Jacob's position to myself as well as their scent of blood which was far more attractive to me than my friend's. Eventually I spotted them, though I was surprised to discover that Jacob had too. Neck and neck, we propelled ourselves forward. Jacob's thoughts were clear in my mind:

_Come on, I can do this! _He encouraged himself. I exhaled in amusement as I focused on my own progress towards our goal. I almost forgot we were hunting; this was more of a race, like the one I promised him the day he left my house almost 10 years previous.

I had my gaze locked on a doe who was grazing the grass. She was of medium size and standing quite alone. I was not sure which Jacob had his eye on, and did not want to risk focusing on his perspective too much in case I miss my own catch. Within seconds I was 100 feet from my prey and I was ready to pounce. By coincidence, the doe began sprinting to my right, forcing me to alter my direction. Although my gift allowed me to foresee her intentions, I unfortunately had no control over her actions. I pursued her relentlessly even though there were several other deer there that would have sated my thirst equally as well. But I was not a predator who was willing to give up, so I persisted, my eye on my prize as I stayed completely focused on my goal. In her confusion, the doe had almost run a full circle. As she was not as effective as I was at turning, I was very quickly catching up with her. Jacob was no where in sight; he must have decided to take down another member of the herd, should I return unsuccessful. This possibility fuelled me to run even faster; I could not return without this doe.

Smelling the air to make sure the doe wasn't leading me towards humans, I sensed a scent I recognised- one I was not expecting to be near. My hearing was able to confirm what my nose detected when a deafening roar of triumph echoed throughout the forest just when my doe was tackled to the ground by a reddish-brown wolf- my companion. I forced my heels into the soil beneath me to stop me from propelling straight into Jacob- it was a close call. A growl of frustration came from between my teeth when I saw how his antics had proven more effective than my own.

_YES! _Jacob yelled in victory, as he tore at the doe's flesh, though didn't consume it; he just wanted to make sure the creature was dead before he turned to look at me so he could boast.

Once the creature's heartbeat faded, Jacob turned his body towards me, his teeth bared in a cheesy grin.

"Well done," I allowed, knowing that I had to be gracious even though his boasting made me feel highly competitive. I was not so big headed as to wonder how he could have possibly beat me; he had been close before and in this particular situation the doe had run to the right, which was in Jacob's general direction and thus gave him the advantage. Yet, the boy had won fair and square, so I forced a reluctant smile of congratulations onto my face as I bent over the doe Jacob caught for me.

I cringed when I thought of what Jasper and Emmett would say if they ever found out Jacob had beat me. I tried not to think about it, though if Jacob was insistent on telling them, I would suggest he compete with _them_ next time.

My brothers and I were fairly equally matched due to the varying gifts and strengths we possess. Jasper has always been an able fighter, and while his ability to sense emotions may dissuade him at times, it also motivates him to complete the chase efficiently. Emmett's strength bodes well for him, especially with mountain lions. A competition for the capture of a mountain lion between Emmett and Jacob would be something I would have to witness. And naturally, my ability to hear the thoughts of my prey is highly advantageous, but it does restrict my scope to predict where my prey would go _beyond _their most immediate thought. Jacob had used this latter weakness of mine well to his advantage.

I felt the warm blood of the doe seep down my throat as I quenched my thirst. While I was thus distracted, Jacob felt it the perfect moment to force upon me which methods he had used to ensure he reached the doe before I did.

_When I saw the doe run towards me, I was going to chase after her in the hope I'd beat you. But then I realised that you generally run faster than me, so I decided to take a risk by moving away from the doe in the hope it would continue to run towards me and away from you. I was paying attention to the sound of its hooves and realised it was running in an arc. So I guessed where it might go and sure enough, I heard it passing close by me, but I couldn't smell your scent yet. When I realised I had a chance, I sprinted so hard towards it. I still can't believe I guessed right! I never would have thought a doe could outrun you! _Jacob asserted, clearly surprised not only by his own 'ingenious' strategy but by my apparent lack of speed and skill.

I removed my mouth from the doe and wiped it clean before turning around to face Jacob.

"I would have caught her within two seconds of you," I told him, feeling a little bitter at my defeat. I could have informed him that the density of the forest in that particular area was thicker than I was used to, which meant my speed was impeded by the constant dodging around trees and over bushes, but I decided to be a gracious 'loser'. Besides, I should not have assumed that Jacob had stayed with the remaining herd; although I was still running at my fullest speed, this assumption did not encourage me to use strategy.

_Sure, sure, _Jacob replied, his teeth still gleaming in the sunlight.

I shook my head and began running home, resigned to the fact that I would need to allow the boy to have his victory. Despite being the alpha of his pack for the past eight or so years, it was only in the last couple of months that the boy had stopped growing. Although the last six or so years only resulted in minor increases to his size, every inch made a difference when racing and hunting. He was now far larger than any of his brothers, including Sam, which meant that he was taller in his human form too. Hence, I concluded that his victory was mostly due to the increase in his height rather than any form of skill he may have learnt from myself or Jasper- I could not accept being bested by strategy.

Concerned that I was angry with him, Jacob sprinted after me.

_Edward, wait up! _He called in his thoughts, and I was amused that he wasn't sure whether I would heed his request. I slowed down slightly at a pace I knew would allow him to catch me. Eventually, I heard his heavy breathing right next to my ear. I turned to my left to find his large brown eye watching me closely.

"You did well, Jacob," I reassured him, just so he knew I wasn't mad at _him_, just desirous to get home and forget the entire incident altogether.

_Thanks,_ Jacob replied, a little taken aback.

Silence followed. And then:

_Um Edward, I was wondering whether you could wait for a moment while I phase? I was hoping to talk to you,_ Jacob requested tentatively.

I suppressed a sigh. _Perfect, this day was every moment decreasing in potential to be a good one, _I thought to myself as I forced my legs to slow down.

_I'll be quick, _he reassured me as I watched the massive animal run under the shade of a couple of trees to phase and put on his shorts. In ten seconds, he had returned running, bare-chested. His gaze was determined, but I could see in his mind that he was nervous. The boy was doing well to hide his intentions from me, but as I had deduced during our hunt, I did not need my gift to know what he was thinking.

Jacob cleared his throat as we began to jog towards home.

"So uh…" the boy trailed off, not sure how to begin. And suddenly in his mind, I saw portions of the speech he had planned for me. This proved that I was correct; he wanted my permission to marry my daughter.

I sighed audibly, causing Jacob to swear under his breath; he knew I must've seen his thoughts, he had allowed his guard down for too long.

"On the day you manage to beat me, you decide to drop this on me too?" I asked half joking, half resigned. Jacob was a little taken aback by my words.

"This- this was always my plan- it's the reason why it's just the two of us hunting," Jacob impressed upon me, thinking momentarily about Bella and the plan he had organised with her two weeks previously as if to provide himself with an alibi that this 'crime' he was about to inflict upon me was not a spur of the moment decision.

"I know, Jacob," I reassured him calmly, so he knew that my previous statement stemmed from exasperation rather than true belief.

"You're trying to make me feel bad," Jacob stated, a slight question in his voice as if wondering whether he was right.

I chuckled. "This is just my way of expressing my bitter frustration as a parent, and as a vampire who has just being beaten by a wolf," I smiled at him, wanting him to understand where my snarkiness was coming from. "However, this is not who I am, so I will try to be more like the more mature century-old Edward, rather than the adolescent I wish I could be at the moment."

Jacob laughed; he couldn't imagine me acting like a teenager.

Then Jacob became serious again, seeing the change in my demeanour.

"I knew this was coming; it was only a matter of time," I admitted to him in a mutter, but I wasn't angry, just sad that now I would have to face what the selfish part of me hoped would never happen.

Jacob felt sympathetic for my plight.

"So you know what I want to ask you?" he clarified, feeling slightly crestfallen.

"Yes," I told the boy simply.

Jacob raised his eyebrows, surprised that I was so calm.

"Well- well I guess you can already hear what I want to say, but could I ask you anyway? Out loud? It's just that I've been preparing it for a while."

I nodded before I registered what I was agreeing to. His words interested me- I wanted to hear his speech, and I respected him still further that he wanted to do this right- the boy had definitely matured over the years.

"Since I imprinted on Renesmee eight years ago, I have wondered what I would say to you the day that- the day I would…" Jacob faltered, unable to look me in the eye as if afraid of voicing what it was he wanted from me. Despite his pause, I decided not to speak. Eventually, he continued on a slightly different wavelength.

"Eight years ago when we all stood in front of the Volturi- the day when we thought all was lost, you called me your 'son'. You placed your daughter, who I knew you cherished and adored, on my back and trusted me with her life. You didn't have much of a choice then- you _had_ to leave her with me. But you have choices now; you don't _have_ to put her life into my hands, but I'm hoping you will because it would be an honour to actually be your son… if you'll let me," Jacob finished, looking relieved and rather proud of himself that he managed to get through it without losing his nerve.

I gave the boy a grim smile, not bothering to congratulate him on his speech or thank him for the praise he had given me.

I couldn't ignore the sorrow I knew I would feel when Renesmee was no longer living with me, when I couldn't see her vivid and imaginative thoughts every day, or hear her say 'Good morning, Daddy,' or give me a kiss on the cheek before she went to bed at night. And yet, I was thrilled that she was so completely loved by Jacob, and had a strong and magical relationship with him, but I still couldn't repress the selfish side of me that wanted to keep her with me forever.

"You have had my permission since the day you speak of; I had resolved then that one day you would marry my daughter," I told him monotonously, my thoughts still caught up in my own struggles.

"But that is not the same as having your blessing," Jacob muttered, feeling embarrassed that he sought my support and my best wishes, not just my permission.

I laughed. "My blessing," I muttered under my breath. "It would not be my choice to lose her after only eight years in my care."

"I know," Jacob readily agreed, nodding his head in between jogs. "I'm sorry she has grown up so fast, that things are happening quicker than you would like," the boy whispered sincerely back.

And I saw in Jacob's mind that he really meant it- that he had seen my own struggles, my own silent pains as I watched my daughter grow up into the beautiful woman she had become. He knew his request would pain me, but at the same time, he knew I wanted Renesmee to be happy. And of course, he was right. But I still couldn't answer him.

Feeling that he needed to further his case, Jacob asserted feelingly:

"You know I would do anything for her- protect her with my life- always make her happy. Nothing could ever stop me from loving her." He then slowed down his run with the idea that it would be more personal- more persuasive if he continued his plight standing face to face.

I slowed down with him, sensing his wishes and willing to obey them, especially considering we were nearing my house.

Once we were at a standstill, I turned away from the boy as I replied to his profession of love for my daughter:

"I know. And now you know how I felt with Bella- why I could never deny her what she wanted…" I whispered, remembering with a mixture of pain, guilt, and awe when I first made love to Bella to the moment when Renesmee entered our lives.

"Thank you for doing as she wished, for giving her those experiences- for not forcing her to let Ness go," Jacob asserted earnestly, as he latched on to my meaning despite me being quite vague. I saw him shudder as he considered how different his life would be- how miserable it would be, without Renesmee.

My back still towards him, Jacob moved around me so he could see my face.

"I owe so much of my joy to you and Bella. I will never forget it."

And I knew his words to be true; it was a thought he has had ever since my daughter was born; he never took her for granted. Yet despite all of his entreaties, I still couldn't utter the words I knew he wanted to hear; I was torn between my own selfish desire to have my daughter under my care for a little while longer, and the knowledge that she would most certainly be happiest and more fulfilled under Jacob's able and devoted love… as his wife.

I shook my head, the fingers on my right hand massaging lines on my forehead.

"You can trust me, Edward," Jacob whispered through his teeth, strained with apprehension and fear that the shake of my head meant I was withholding my blessing.

I smiled, releasing my breath slowly through my teeth. "Trusting you has never been an issue for me, Jacob. _You_ trusting _me_ on the other hand, now _that _has come up a number of times in the past," I joked half-heartedly. Jacob laughed with me, trying to catch my eye, unsure whether my joking was a good or bad sign.

"Not for a long time though," Jacob pointed out, and he sounded rather pleased with this fact. _I'd trust you with my life._

"True," I acknowledged, smiling grimly.

"But you can trust me with _her,_" Jacob clarified. "I know how much she means to you, but she means a lot to me too. I will _always_ be there for her. Always."

Jacob held his breath in anticipation, waiting for me to answer him.

I released a heavy sigh, resigning myself to the inevitable fact that Jacob had my blessing, because despite all of the pain it would cause me, I wished him and my daughter infinite happiness together, and in the end, my happiness was nothing compared to hers.

"I give you my blessing; you know I would never deny my daughter anything that made her happy."

Jacob exhaled with relief. "Thanks, Edward. You had me worried," he admitted.

I looked up at him then because despite my blessing, there was more I wished to ask of him.

Meeting his eyes, I begged: "Promise me never to take her too far away from us."

Without hesitation, Jacob replied: "You and Ness are really close. I would never suggest we move too far, because _she_ would never want to."

"Promise me," I insisted firmly.

Jacob chuckled. His reaction made me tense. Seeing my discomfort, Jacob returned to a more sincere composure and tone.

"Even if Ness _did_ want to move, _I_ wouldn't want to. I've become so used to being with you, with Bella, and with your family," he told me, and then looked down slightly so his gaze met mine. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd miss you," he asserted, a deep sincerity in his tone that was so earnest, Jacob turned away with embarrassment.

I reached up to clap Jacob on the shoulder and then squeezed it gently.

"I would miss you too," I replied, causing Jacob to turn around in shock. As much as wanted to deny it in that moment, I knew it was the truth.

Realising it was almost lunch time I tilted my head towards the house. Jacob understood my gesture and we started to run again.

"Do you think she's ready?" Jacob asked me, uncertainty colouring his thoughts. I could see that it was a question he'd been dreading to ask me, because he knew I was the only one, other than my daughter who would know the answer.

"Yes, very much so," I willingly admitted, because of this I was one hundred percent certain; my daughter had be hoping Jacob would ask her in the near future.

"Awesome."

"It'll be 'awesome' up until the point that Alice insists on organising _everything_. You know that right?" I teased.

"It'll be totally worth it. First thing's first, I have to buy Ness a ring and organise with

Alice. Bella told me she is organising Nessie's party, is that right?"

I raised my eyebrows, silently challenging Jacob to suggest someone else who would dare organise it other than my sister.

Interpreting my expression correctly, Jacob replied with a grin: "Well then, I'm going to have to tell her. But you're not going to tell Ness are you? I want it to be a surprise," he informed me, more serious now.

"You can trust me to keep it a secret from her; I would be much more worried about Alice."

"Yeah I know, that's what I told Bella, but hopefully she can keep her mouth shut."

"Well she does love organising surprises, so you may have some luck there."

We laughed together as we entered the bigger house. Much to Jacob's delight, my daughter, wife, and mother had just finished preparing lunch for him, Seth and whoever else happened to be lingering around for some delicious food.

But before he sat down to eat, he sought out Renesmee, and greeted her with a kiss. Deciding that it would be safest for him to not say anything about hunting for now, Jacob sat down at the table. Although he was quite full from eating an entire buck, he could never resist Esme's meals, and didn't want to offend her. I watched him eat, and heard amongst his thoughts that he couldn't wait to officially become a member of my family.

I already saw Jacob as one of us, we all did, but to make it official would be a special occasion even for me; the boy had grown on me and my liking of him increased with every interaction he had with Renesmee. For the past eight years, he had been like an older brother to her, always looking out for her safety, her health, and doing anything to keep her occupied. But of course, the way my daughter would light up whenever she saw him, and the bright colours in her mind whenever she thought of Jacob told me, from very early on, that I would love him because he makes my daughter so happy.

After eating lunch, I watched Jacob enter the living room where my siblings were seated watching TV. All four of them looked up at him, and I growled when I saw what they could see: Jacob's grin. If I was unable to see his thoughts, I may have deduced he was about to announce he would propose to their niece in two weeks, but alas this was not the case.

"I finally beat Edward!" he announced proudly. Emmett roared with laughter, Jasper's brows rose in surprise, Alice giggled knowing that I was near and did not want to be so openly entertained by the news as Emmett. Rosalie smiled pleasantly, uncertain whether or not she was pleased by my defeat, because that would mean she would be supporting Jacob.

"Man Edward, I think you're losing your touch!" Emmett exclaimed, leaping off the couch to suggest a wrestle outside. "We better start training again; we can't have a wolf beat you!" By this time, Bella, Renesmee, Carlisle, and Esme had also heard what had happened, each of them staring at me in shock. Only Renesmee was torn between whether she should be happy or should remain neutral about my 'defeat'.

"Come on Edward!" Emmett insisted, already standing outside in the yard. "If we don't train you up, next thing you know Seth will be waltzing in to announce his victory over you and we can't have that!" Emmett teased. And indeed, we could not have that for Jacob was almost twice Seth's size.

I growled again, staring at Jacob. For a moment the boy feared I would take back my blessing regarding his marrying my daughter, but then he remembered I could take a joke; I could laugh at myself every now and then…

I relaxed a little, as his thoughts reminded me that it _was_ just a joke, but I never took my eyes off him. Yes, I had accepted the boy would be a part of my family, but if I wasn't careful he would treat me like a brother rather than his father-in-law and I couldn't have that. I smiled grimly at my thoughts.

By this time, Emmett was dragging me by the wrist, my mind too filled with other thoughts to bother pulling away from him. Jacob felt a little worried now; he did not intend on Emmett taking the news so far. I turned to look at him, my eyes narrowed in playful annoyance.

He started, not sure how to interpret my gaze. My daughter also looked on, feeling concerned.

To relieve their discomfort, I flashed Jacob a smile. I visibly saw him exhale, and then together he and Renesmee followed me and the rest of my family outside.

_You are safe for now, Jacob, _I said to myself, enjoying my playful threats. I knew the boy was not trying to insult me by bragging to my siblings; it was after all, his respect for me and my abilities that made his victory all the more memorable and exciting for him. So for that, I was honoured, and like I had learnt during the first couple of years of our acquaintance, the boy never wanted to hurt me. So despite the rapping I will get from Emmett, the large number of hours Emmett will be 'training' me, the hunting tips Jasper was already devising for me, and the boasts Jacob would aim my way, I will still be proud to the call the boy my son.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note:

So what did you think of this chapter? The hunting scene, what did you think of it? I spent ages trying to work out a plausible way that Jacob could beat Edward, and in all honesty, I still don't believe a doe could have any chance of outrunning Edward, but nevertheless, I thought it provided some amusing humour :) And what did you think of Bella's and Edward's reactions to the upcoming proposal? And of Emmett's teasing Edward (I had a lot of fun writing that scene). I so look forward, as always, to hearing your thoughts! So please, please review!

Also, I decided while writing this chapter, that I would write an outtake from each of the Cullen's perspectives of a time when they nearly 'let the cat out of the bag' regarding Jake's imprinting on Renesmee. So I hope you will enjoy reading those when I get them up!

This chapter and the next chapter were originally one chapter. However, I came up with an interesting mini plotline I wanted to explore, and I was so engrossed in it that it ended up becoming a whole chapter in itself! So I hope you enjoy it, I had fun writing it, but also had to look more deeply into two characters we haven't seen much of. I'm not going to give the plotline away :P But I will tell you that the next chapter is called 'Beautiful'. I will be posting it up on Wednesday (or Tuesday night, we'll see). Please remember to leave me a review before you go :) Thank you!


	27. Chapter 26 Beautiful

Author's note: Hi everyone! Thank you all so much for your comments on the previous chapter, I really love hearing from you all! I'm so glad you enjoyed the hunting scene with Jake and Edward; I had heaps of fun writing it!

As I told you at the end of my previous post, this chapter follows on from the last chapter ie. Takes place a couple of hours after Jake gets Edward's blessing. As you probably guessed, this chapter will include Jake's proposal (and hence, Ness' birthday), as well as the mini plotline I thought of a week or so ago.

Also, I wish to 'warn' you that the rest of my story (only two chapters after this one! I can't believe it!) will not feature Charlie. I am so sorry to any big Charlie fans out there, though given none of you have ever mentioned him in comments, I hope you won't be too devastated. But given the time skipping I have done, and how little he has been mentioned, I didn't think it was enough to warrant writing him in eg. At Renesmee's birthday, as I would prefer to focus on the Cullens, Billy, and the pack. I'm so sorry!

Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please remember to review when you're done :)

Response to reviews:

Sweetie7smiled: Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter! And yes, respect between Edward and Jacob is something I have always wanted to be present between them (in this story and in canon too), so I am glad you liked that aspect of the previous chapter!

ZenNoMai: I'm so glad you loved the hunting scene! It was a lot of fun to write. And thank you for letting me know you thought it was plausible! Yay!

: Yep :) Things are going pretty well at the moment! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for reviewing; it's always great hearing from you!

Eruhin: I'm so glad you loved the chapter so much that it's one of your favourites! It is definitely a fun one, and I spent a while thinking of amusing ways the two guys could interact while hunting. I'm happy I was able to meet your expectations regarding the flashback to the Cullen's reactions to Ness and Jake finally dating. And yeah, I thought they deserved a scene together without all the angst and emotions, just having fun ;) it is the way their life is most of the time, so I just wanted to portray that at least once! I love writing the aww moments, so I'm glad I was able to elicit some from you! Yay! And I really wanted to show the father/son side of their relationship too because despite appearing a similar age, Edward is obviously far older and knowledgeable, and I envisage him being a mentor for Jake at times (given his gift as well). But at the same time, Edward would have grown to love Jake; he would love anyone who loved his daughter as much as Jake does, and let's face it, Jake can be a decent guy… :P And don't worry! I'm a mush lover too! Thank you for letting me know how much the previous chapter affected you. And yeah, I also love chucking in a bit of humour ;) I really hope you enjoy this chapter and that the mini plotline interests you! Please let me know what you think, and thank you for your review!

Trust me

Chapter 26- Beautiful

Sam's POV

Jacob used our alpha connection to inform me of his coming to La Push for a pack meeting, and asked me to inform his father. I had no idea what the reason for the gathering was, but I could tell by the nature of his thoughts that he was happy about something. With this in mind, I ran to Billy's house to inform him that Jake would soon be joining us.

Billy's face lit up when I told him; he hadn't seen Jacob in a few weeks, and we immediately left to meet Jacob in the usual meeting spot in the outskirts of the forest. As I was pushing Billy in his wheelchair, I considered what Jake could be so happy about. Undoubtedly it would have something to do with Renesmee, and I found myself smiling in anticipation of his good news.

The first time I saw Renesmee was when she was in her mother's arms just prior to the potential battle with the Volturi eight years ago.

Once the battle was over and the Volturi had left, Emily persistently encouraged me to visit the Cullen's in order to meet Jacob's imprint. After two weeks, I eventually found the time to concede to her wishes, and insisted Emily come with me given how curious she was to see Bella and Edward's child. She readily agreed to join me, and on the morning of our intended visit (the Cullens knew we were coming), I asked Jared and Paul if they wished to come with us. Jared was working, so he wasn't available, though I had the distinct feeling he would be reluctant to come anyway. Paul outright refused and even though his imprint was Jacob's sister, he still could not accept that a member of the tribe had imprinted on something that was part vampire.

So I drove Emily and myself to the Cullens, feeling somewhat nervous given that Jacob was not the only one who suffered under my hesitations regarding Renesmee; from what I understood, Jasper and Edward were also privy to what I said and how my words had affected Jacob.

When we parked in the Cullen's backyard, Emily pressed her hand into mine as we walked up to their door. As we approached the house, I could hear them moving inside the living room. By the time we reached the stairs, Jacob was standing at the door with Renesmee in his arms; she was waving at us.

Emily could barely contain her squeal when she saw the child's gorgeous bronze ringlets and her large brown eyes.

"She's so adorable!" she whispered excitedly in my ear.

I nodded my head in agreement; that could not be denied.

Jacob was bouncing Renesmee on his hip when we finally made it to the porch.

"Hi Jake," Emily spoke first, reaching over to kiss Jacob on the cheek.

"Hey Emily, hey Sam," he greeted the both of us, and then looked down at Renesmee. "I'd like to introduce you to Renesmee. Nessie, these are my friends Sam and Emily."

"Hi!" Renesmee said brightly, her perfectly formed teeth gleaming in the sun.

Emily gasped. "Wow, you have all your teeth already!"

"Yup!" Renesmee exclaimed proudly. "Since I was born."

I saw my wife's eyes widen, but she didn't say anything further.

"It's nice to meet you, Renesmee," I greeted her, "I am sorry we haven't had the chance to visit you sooner," I added, looking up at Jacob briefly, who smiled at me. It was amazing how quickly he was able to forgive me, though given our brief words prior to the Volturi arriving, and the fact that my pack stood up for his imprint, seemed to be sufficient to elicit his forgiveness.

I held out my hand tentatively towards Renesmee to see if she would shake it. She looked into my eyes for a moment, and then turned to look up at Jacob, looking curious rather than worried.

"It's okay," he encouraged her.

Smiling, Renesmee grabbed onto my finger.

I gasped when I saw my own face staring at me. I remembered back to the day when Jacob told us about his imprint's gift; it really was amazing to see yourself from her perspective. Her sight was perfect, each line and aspect of my face was precisely reflected back at me. But not only was I privy to what she could see, but to how she felt.

I could hardly believe it when I realised she was happy to see me. I felt her ask me, without opening her mouth, if I was a wolf like Jake.

I nodded my head and answered her. It was strange to talk when I couldn't see who I was talking to.

"Yes, I am."

_Colour? _She asked me.

I found myself chuckling, amazed by her curiosity; perhaps she was wondering which of the multiple wolves she saw two weeks ago were me.

"Black," I informed her.

Then I saw a different image immediately replace my face. I saw my pack and Jacob's in a line behind the Cullens and their fellow vampires. Renesmee had correctly identified me amongst my brothers as being the tallest wolf other than Jacob, and being the only black one of course.

_You? _She asked me tentatively.

"Yes, that's me," I acknowledged as I found myself smiling. I now understood how Billy, Embry, and Quil had fallen in love with the girl; she was so intelligent, so curious, and had such a personal way of interacting with you that you couldn't help but feel close to her some how.

Suddenly, my sight was returned to me, and I could see Jacob staring at me, looking tense. I think he was wondering how I would handle his imprint's gift. I gave him a smile to let him know I was okay. But Renesmee hardly noticed the silent interaction between us, for she was already reaching out to Emily, evidently wanting to show her something. Jacob dragged his gaze away from me, to pay attention to what Ness was after.

"You want Emily to hold you Nessie?" he asked her. Renesmee nodded excitedly.

"Okay then," Jacob agreed, then 'zoomed' his imprint into my wife's arms.

"Hey Gorgeous!" Emily cooed, tickling Renesmee under her chin. The girl's laugh was musical, almost unworldly- my wife was as caught up in it as I was, but she didn't have time to properly react before Renesmee touched her neck.

My wife gasped, and suddenly I became anxious for her, not certain what Renesmee was showing her- she hadn't been exposed to vampire gifts like I had. Although I had warned her of what we could expect during our visit to the Cullens, none of their gifts was something you could really prepare for- they were all equally amazing and seemingly impossible.

"Aww, thank you Sweetheart," Emily said tenderly to Renesmee, yet I could tell she didn't have her sight back yet due to the way she slowly rubbed the girl's back in thanks. "I love your hair too; it is such a beautiful colour."

There was a five second pause before Emily spoke again.

"Thank you Gorgeous." But as to what she was thanking Renesmee for, I had no idea, but I felt that Emily was slightly emotional and I had to know why. But just when I was about to ask, Renesmee pulled her hand away from my wife's neck and Emily had her sight returned to her. The first thing Em did was look at me, and I was horrified to see her eyes swimming in tears. I was about to demand Jacob take his imprint away from mine, fearing that the girl had shown Emily something upsetting, but I hardly had time to react; Renesmee was staring at my wife so intensely, her lips pursed in contemplation, that I was terribly curious to know what the girl was thinking.

When she finally made up her mind, Renesmee reached up to touch Emily's neck again.

"Renesmee!" a male voice shouted urgently from within the house, causing me to jump slightly. My reaction occurred for two reasons: one, because I had completely forgotten that, not only were others around, but that one of them could hear the girl's thoughts without having to be touched by her, and two, because of the almost harsh tone Edward was taking with his daughter.

Suddenly, Edward was at the back door, looking tense, his honey-coloured eyes staring into his daughter's.

Seeing her father's gaze and hearing his shout, Renesmee immediately pulled her hand away as if she knew she was about to do something wrong.

And indeed, Edward's face was stern as he shook his head at his daughter, though for whatever reason, he did not vocalise why he was cross with her, probably so we couldn't hear.

All of us waited in silence as Renesmee communicated with her father from Emily's arms. Unfortunately we could only hear Edward's side of the conversation.

"It is, because it is private," he answered her vaguely, probably so we didn't know to what he referring.

There was another pause as Edward listened to the girl's thoughts.

"I know you are curious, Darling, but we must learn that there are some things we don't ask unless our friends tell us first. Do you understand?"

Renesmee nodded, and then looked towards her father again to ask another question.

Edward shook his head, a small smile on his face.

Renesmee then wriggled around so she was staring at my wife's face. Emily's eyes were dry now, but there was a look in them that told me she adored Renesmee for reasons I did not yet understand. Renesmee then flipped back around to look at Edward again.

"Another day?" she asked.

Edward nodded. "Another day; perhaps when you are a little older."

"Okay," Renesmee whispered looking a little crestfallen, but I had no doubt she would not disobey her father.

Having seen the look on Renesmee's face, I could tell Emily felt terrible for not being given the chance to answer her question. However, neither of us felt it was our place to challenge Edward's judgement; perhaps the question his daughter wanted to ask _was _too personal?

I felt a pang of guilt in my chest when I recalled the fears I had relayed to Jacob months before; now that I had met her there was no doubt in my mind that Jacob's imprint was not only able to control herself with regard to her thirst and her gift, but was probably more intelligent and more respectful of others than some adults.

Edward walked down the stairs then and shook my hand.

"Welcome," he greeted me, a huge smile on his face and I knew he heard my thoughts.

He then turned to greet Emily. I could tell the moment Emily saw him close up that she could see where Renesmee's beautiful hair colour came from, and that she was in awe, as most are, of Edward's appearance.

Edward smiled kindly at her.

"Yes, she is most definitely my daughter," he acknowledged one of her thoughts as he took Renesmee from Emily's arms.

"Please come in," he welcomed us as he led the way up the stairs. Emily, Jacob, and myself followed after him, my mind half thinking about who was at home and whether my imprint could handle being around so many vampires at once, while the other half of me was preoccupied by what Edward had forbidden Renesmee to ask or show my wife.

Jacob then led us into the living room which by-passed the kitchen. Esme and Bella called out brief 'hellos' as we passed; we would see them later as they were making lunch for the present. Edward decided to join them. When we entered the living room, Emily halted in front of me when she saw Edward's siblings looking at us from the couch. Jacob left us at the door; apparently Renesmee wanted him, so it was just myself and Emily with four vampires.

I wrapped my arm around my wife's waist and pulled her to me as I kissed her cheek.

"It'll be fine," I whispered in her ear in my attempt to reassure her even though I myself was trembling slightly by their presence and the overwhelming scent that filled my nose.

Alice was the first to jump up and come over to us, for Emily was still unable to move.

"Please come and sit down," Alice sung kindly, holding out her small hand for Emily to take. "My name's Alice. What's your name?"

"Emily," my imprint answered, her eyes wide with fear.

Alice smiled. "I know we're a little intimidating, but we promise not to hurt you."

Emily turned to look at me for reassurance. I nodded my head at her, though I was nervous myself.

"Please come," Alice insisted, tugging on my wife's hand.

Emily nodded as she pulled me along with her to sit on the couch adjacent to theirs.

"It wasn't very nice of Jacob to leave you was it?" she asked sympathetically. Alice continued to converse with us, evidently not comfortable with silence.

Emily blushed with embarrassment, and I too found myself unable to talk even though I knew the names of the vampires around us, I couldn't bring myself to make the appropriate introductions; I was too worried for my imprint to care. I felt my limbs tremble slightly, but I forced myself to stay under control; I didn't want Emily to know I felt threatened. I was strongly considering standing up and insisting Edward or Jacob accompany us, and in the mean time, take Emily away from them. My desire to protect Emily overrode any other feeling.

_Where are Jacob and Edward?_ I asked myself, demanding an answer from the latter. I expected at least Edward to show his face given my thought and my trembling, but there was no sign of him. Perhaps he and Jacob were discussing what Renesmee wanted to show Emily? Or perhaps they were helping make lunch?

Then suddenly, Jasper was in front of me, his eyes boring into mine. I gasped, as did Emily by his sudden appearance, as we both craned our necks to look at him standing over us. He immediately squatted down, so my head was now above his. If I wasn't so overcome with their scent and his behaviour I may have had a moment to feel guilty upon seeing him as I remembered the way he looked at me when he informed me how much I had hurt Jacob months before. Jacob's pain had become his, and while that was not my fault, I wanted him to know that that was why I was here- to make it up to my brother. But I didn't need to spell it out for him; I had the sense he already knew why I was there, and how I felt about my behaviour towards Jacob in retrospect.

"You're doing well," he whispered encouragingly to me, his lips hardly moving. I don't know why he bothered because I was certain his siblings could still hear him. "You and your imprint are safe here," he informed me, and I was surprised he knew that Emily was not 'just' my wife- perhaps he knew the love Jacob felt for Renesmee and recognised it in myself. Or perhaps Edward had told him.

I nodded, and then took a deep breath in an effort to control my shaking. Jasper's reassuring gaze and his words allowed me to relax, and I was surprised and relieved that I didn't need his gift to calm down.

Jasper then moved towards Emily. I observed him carefully, and I could see that his face was tense being so close to my wife- a human. Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming urge to get Jasper away from Emily, as I remembered in the past when I saw in Jacob's mind that it was Jasper who went to attack Bella two years previously. But before I could go through with my intended reaction, Jasper turned sharply back to me.

"I'm fine," he told me steadily, his golden eyes staring into mine. Although he couldn't hear my thoughts, I knew he knew where my sudden fear came from.

I nodded; I believed him, and due to the Treaty, I knew he wouldn't take the risk hurting my imprint. So, I squeezed Emily's hand in mine to let her know that the vampire wouldn't hurt her.

When he was sure I was calm again, or as calm as I could be given the circumstances, Jasper turned his gaze back to Emily.

"My name is Jasper, I am Alice's partner," he introduced himself to my wife, briefly looking over his shoulder at Alice who beamed at him. "Do you know what my gift is?" he asked. Emily looked at me, a little alarmed at being asked straight up- I think she expected them to hide their gifts from her, a human. I gave her a reassuring smile. Emily then looked back at Jasper and nodded.

"Did you want me to calm you down a little? I can feel how afraid you are," he offered.

Slowly Emily nodded, apprehensive about what would happen and what she would feel. Almost immediately I felt Emily's hand relax in mine, and I could tell, just from looking at her face side on, that she felt better.

A satisfied smile appeared on Jasper's face as he saw the effects of his work, and then he went to sit back down next to Emmett.

There was an awkward silence before someone spoke. Then Emmett reached over to Emily, he pretty much had to lie across his partner and Alice, to shake her hand.

"The name's Emmett," he introduced himself, "and this is my wife Rosalie," he continued, tilting his head to his right to indicate his wife who looked very displeased being laid on in such a way. Rosalie gave us a half smile. I looked at Emily to see how she was reacting to Rosalie's appearance- despite being a vampire and quite a piece of work from what I had heard, she had a striking, almost unworldly look about her. Emily seemed to feel the same way, and I wondered whether she felt a little intimidated by her. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"This is my wife Emily," I told them, rubbing her shoulder with my hand to comfort her. But under Jasper's influence, she seemed fine and gave me a smile. I was really proud of Emily for sitting there, knowing that everyone in the room was a vampire and would find her blood more tempting than my own. She handled it remarkably well.

Finally, Edward, Jacob, and Renesmee re-entered the room. It was only then that I realised I had seen all of the Cullens except for their leader.

"He is at the hospital- he will not be able to join us for lunch today," Edward informed me.

I nodded my understanding, but felt a little disappointed; I was hoping to see Carlisle. But my attention was soon caught by Renesmee; although her aunts wanted to hold her, Renesmee didn't want to go to them just yet; she was intrigued by us, her visitors.

Or as I soon discovered, she was intrigued by Emily. I couldn't be sure if that was because she sensed that Emily was my imprint as she was to Jacob (not that Renesmee was aware of this fact), or whether she was simply fascinated to meet a human female. I looked to Edward who didn't seem to understand it either, as he watched Jacob place Renesmee into Emily's arms.

Renesmee's presence provided a distraction for Emily, which I was glad for, and she began to bounce the girl on her knees.

Renesmee squealed with delight. I noticed that all of the vampires were observing, my imprint and Jacob's interact with one another. Watching them myself reminded me of what happened outside minutes earlier. I turned to Edward with the intention of asking him whether he would tell me, even privately, what Renesmee wanted to show Emily. But before I could even speak, I saw that Edward knew what I wanted to ask him.

I locked my eyes with his as I watched him study me. Edward's eyes were tight, his body tense, and I could tell he was conflicted whether to tell me or not.

_Could you tell me privately? _I negotiated. But even then, Edward seemed reluctant. Edward then looked towards his daughter and Emily, making sure they were occupied, and that his daughter was not currently tempted to ask any more questions.

He then nodded his consent. I stood up, whispering to Emily quickly that I would be back soon. She didn't seem to mind; she felt perfectly comfortable around the Cullens now, especially as Jacob was near and Renesmee was warm in her arms.

Edward led me into a separate living area. We had to walk through the kitchen to get there. Bella and Esme looked at us a little concerned as we passed. I gave them both a smile to let them know everything was okay.

When we had finally made it to a large dining room, Edward stopped walking, and then turned around to look at me, his eyes were tense.

"I understand that my daughter is captivating, but you do not need to answer her question," Edward immediately pressed upon me. "She understands-"

"Yes, I can see that," I asserted, unable to keep the awe out of my voice.

Edward smiled. "Then I would not want you to feel obligated to hear her out or even answer her, especially within earshot of my family," Edward said kindly.

"How do I know whether I wish to answer her or not without knowing her question?" I enquired, wondering how long he was going to keep me in suspense for.

Edward chuckled, but then took a couple of steps towards me, his eyes studying me carefully.

"I was anxious to prevent Renesmee from asking Emily her question; I did not want her to put Emily in an awkward situation or put you in a painful one. Due to my gift, I have seen the answer to her query, and I felt that you would not wish it to be known to my daughter and my family. It is not that I feel Renesmee is too young to understand, but that you would feel obligated to explain the circumstances to her."

"What is it?" I insisted, pretending to ignore his concerns for me and Emily, even though I appreciated his sincerity and consideration.

Edward sighed. "Renesmee wanted to know what happened to Emily's face," he told me gently.

I stood there, staring in the distance, no longer seeing Edward or anything for that matter.

_Of course, why didn't I think of that? Such a curious, intelligent child would have focused on Emily's face and seen her scars…_

I swallowed back bile- I cannot believe I didn't think of it myself. At that moment, I was grateful Edward had stopped his daughter from asking such a question; there was no saying how I would have reacted in front of her. The memory of that moment- when I had realised what I had done, weighed on my mind and in my dreams for years. To cope with my guilt, I forced myself to push it aside just so I wouldn't hurt Emily anymore when she heard me cry out in the middle of the night, or see the inconceivable guilt in my eyes.

I stopped myself from recollecting the moment so as to spare Edward, and perhaps Jasper, my feelings and my thoughts, but I couldn't bring myself to face Edward, hardly able to believe that _he _already knew what I had done to my imprint all those years ago.

"Sam," Edward said comfortingly, as he placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Your secret is safe with me," he whispered.

_Thank you, _I thought gratefully. And yet, a part of me felt ashamed that it _was_ a secret- that I was not willing to talk about my mistake. Forever, I had physically scarred my wife, but I couldn't talk about it; it was too painful to remember how I felt when I realised what I had done. To explain every detail to Renesmee would be more than I could handle, but to tell her I made a mistake… that it was an accident... in a child's eyes, is there any excuse to hurt someone you love?

I felt Edward squeeze my shoulder again. I tried to look at the expression on his face, but I could not see his eyes; mine were blurred with tears. I had no doubt that he was reacting to my thoughts, but I didn't want him to regret telling me; if he hadn't, I would always wonder.

But regardless of my own guilt and pain, I had to think of Emily; what would she do? How would she feel if Renesmee asked her? All I could think of was that moment when Emily looked upset, her eyes swimming in tears. What had Renesmee showed her, or asked her? Why didn't Edward stop her then?

"After making the comment about her hair," Edward whispered to me, his hand still on my shoulder, "Renesmee told Emily that she is beautiful," Edward explained, which answered my question.

I shook my head in awe- in disbelief- no wonder why Emily looked so adoringly at Renesmee; she loves her already. In my eyes Emily was the most beautiful woman to ever live and I told her so every day, but to hear such a compliment from a child- from anyone else, would have made my wife unbelievably happy.

_That would explain Emily's tears._

Edward nodded. "My daughter sees Emily's scars as unique and special, hence her curiosity. But," Edward hurried on, sensing I was about to interrupt him, "Renesmee needs to learn to think about her questions before she asks them. Although she is still young, she is old enough to understand that sometimes her curiosity can make people uncomfortable. Bella and I are perfectly happy for her to wait for her answer, should you ever be willing to tell her," Edward graciously told me, clearly not wanting me to feel pressured to ever tell Renesmee if that was something I didn't want to do.

I thought of my imprint and tried to imagine what she would do- this really was up to her. Having seen the way she adores Renesmee and knowing that the girl thinks she's beautiful with or without her scars, would she mind revealing who inflicted the injury? It was always me, not Emily who wanted to hide the truth from others, so I had the feeling that if Emily knew I was okay to have it known to the Cullens, then she would be willing, perhaps even eager, to talk about it after keeping it to herself for so many years.

Edward listened to my internal reasoning and when I had come to my conclusion, he asked: "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "If Renesmee still wants to know, I believe Emily will be okay being asked. In fact, I don't believe she _has _ever spoken about it to anyone, not even briefly. It was a story my brothers had involuntarily seen in my own mind, and no one ever ventured to talk about it… which is understandable given the intense amount of pain they knew it would cause me. But as to how Emily will answer your daughter's question, I cannot say."

Edward stared at me a moment longer as if determining whether he should allow me to agree to something that would undoubtedly result in subjecting myself to emotional pain and turmoil, which would ultimately inflict pain upon himself as well as his brother.

Eventually he whispered: "Very well then," and then gestured for me to lead the way back into the living room.

Emily's eyes were wide as I re-entered the room and sat down beside her; I knew she was curious as to where I went with Edward and why. I averted my eyes from her, though I gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and then focused my gaze on Renesmee who was also watching me with interest. The child was unbelievably inquisitive, her large brown eyes and enchanting air made me feel so drawn to her, that a part of me feared she would hate me for what I had done to Emily.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me, Jacob's included and I had no doubt they were all wondering the same thing- only Jasper seemed tense and I had a feeling he knew that whatever Edward and I had quietly discussed had caused me a lot of pain.

"Renesmee," Edward addressed his daughter. Everyone turned to look at father and daughter, as the little girl turned in Emily's arms to face her dad.

"Yes, Daddy?" she asked.

"Do you remember the question you wanted to ask Emily when you were together outside?" Edward prompted, though I suspected Renesmee would not have forgotten so soon.

"Yes," she replied, nodding.

"I have been talking to Sam and he thinks it will be okay if you ask Emily your question," Edward told her, but there was a tone in his voice that suggested to me, and undoubtedly to his daughter, that she should be careful with her enquiry.

Renesmee turned her head to look at me as if wondering why I needed to be consulted on the matter. But she didn't say anything to me, and then turned back to Emily so she was facing her front on.

Emily looked at me, her eyebrows raised with surprise, but I could tell she was interested to hear what Renesmee wanted to know.

I smiled grimly at her, to show her it was okay. But in that split second, I hoped I had made the right decision, and I hoped I could maintain my composure if Emily decided to tell Renesmee what happened.

I watched with bated breath as Renesmee reached up to touch Emily's cheek. For a moment there was complete silence, and I was in agony wondering what Renesmee was showing Emily, and how Emily was feeling. My eyes widened with horror as well as amazement when I saw Renesmee trace my wife's scars with her finger. I gently ran my thumb over Emily's hand hoping that I could comfort her. I dared a brief glance at the Cullens, all of whom were watching their niece except Jasper, who was staring intensely at me; I had a feeling he expected me to lose it.

After what felt like an eternity, Renesmee lowered her hand, and my wife was able to see through her own eyes again.

Immediately she turned to look at me, her eyes wide with concern; she knew how difficult it must have been for me to agree to such a question being asked, and was confused as to why I allowed it. She felt terrible for me, uncertain how to answer. My only comfort was that she herself was not distressed for her own sake. Her eyes were quickly swimming in tears as she watched me struggle under her scrutiny. Emily inched her arm over my shoulders and squeezed me to her. She then kissed my upper arm tenderly, my own eyes watering as I felt how much she loved me- how selfless she was to have forgiven me for hurting her so permanently. She then turned back to Renesmee, who was waiting silently and patiently. The Cullens were all incredibly tense, though I had no doubt that Renesmee's tracing and Emily's comfort towards me allowed them to put two and two together.

Tears in her eyes, Emily ran her other hand through Renesmee's hair. Seeing this, the little girl's lips turned into a frown, but she didn't say anything.

"You are so special, Renesmee," Emily whispered, her lip trembling. "Despite the scars on my face, you still think I'm beautiful," my wife sobbed gratefully, as she smiled through her tears.

Renesmee nodded, and I could see the girl truly believed it.

"You're special too," she told Emily as if it was a fact.

"Thank you, Sweetheart," my wife whispered, tears sliding quickly down her cheeks. "I am very blessed," Emily continued, turning to look at me now. My heart sank with guilt knowing what she was about to say, "because I am so loved by Sam." Those words right there punctured my heart as I recalled a time in my life when I felt I didn't deserve Emily's love or even her respect. I bent forward and rested my face in my hands, unable to look at Emily, the beautiful child, or her family any longer. I felt Emily's hand on my back as she rubbed circles on it- the way she always comforts me whenever I feel upset.

"Sam and I were going through a hard time," she told Renesmee quietly. "It was an accident; he didn't mean to hurt me." After this, I felt Emily's lips on my back as she kissed me. I took a deep shuddering breath, a fresh wave of tears pouring down my face.

There was silence- no one dared speak; all that could be heard was my suppressed sobs and the dishes being moved around in the kitchen.

I felt Jacob kneel down next to me, his hand on my shoulder.

"You okay?" I heard him whisper in my right ear. I couldn't look up at him yet; I was trying to stay in control, but I managed to nod my head slightly.

I appreciated his comfort and his support; only he, and perhaps Edward (for he can hear my thoughts) were the only ones who could truly understand how I felt- what it would mean to hurt their imprint.

"We all understand," Edward murmured his answer to my thoughts. I shook my head in disbelief, hating the silence that was pressing down on me. After wiping my eyes and thanking Jacob for his comforting hand, I dared to look up.

And there I saw the four vampires watching me, Jasper looked like he was struggling not to calm me down, but the others displayed pity on their faces. Alice looked to be on the verge of tears, and even on Emmett's there wasn't any sign of a smile or a joke there. I had a feeling they were considering how _they_ would feel if they hurt their partners in such a way. Perhaps they did understand after all.

I sat back up on the couch and took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a moment to maintain control over myself, in preparation for seeing Renesmee.

But I hardly had time to compose myself before I heard Emily speak to Renesmee.

"In a moment, Sweetie," she whispered, and I wondered what it was the girl wanted. I opened my eyes, to see Renesmee watching me, her arms reaching out to me. For the mere fact that the girl wanted to be within my grasp, let alone in my arms, almost induced another round of tears from me. But I stayed focused and kept taking deep breaths as I took Renesmee from my wife. I wondered what the girl would say to me or show me- did she understand what Emily had implied? Did she understand that it was in my wolf form that the damage was done? Was she about to tell me off? I had no idea.

Emily wrapped her arms around my torso in a hug, her head resting on my shoulder as I placed Renesmee on my lap.

My body was tense- my eyes transfixed as I watched Renesmee slowly lift her hand to touch my neck. I helped her by bending down a little so she could reach me.

The moment her warm skin touched mine, I saw her memory of me leaning forward, my head in my hands as we heard Emily tell of my treachery. As I couldn't see anything other than the darkness my palms created, I wasn't aware that Renesmee was watching me rather than Emily. And yet, it was clear that she _was_ watching me, very closely.

I then felt a sadness come over Renesmee when she asked me using her gift: _Sad?_

It was as if she were making sure she interpreted my body posture correctly.

I nodded my head, though sadness didn't come anywhere close to the pain, guilt, and remorse I was feeling.

Renesmee then focused on a different aspect of the image where Emily's hand was rubbing circles on my back. The girl then showed me my wife's face, streaked with tears as she watched me struggle with my pain. I could feel Renesmee's thoughts become a little jumbled as she tried to voice to me what she had seen. Eventually she said: _Emily forgives you. She doesn't want you to be sad._

The mere fact that the girl even knew what forgiveness meant was incomprehensible to me. And yet, I found myself nodding in agreement; I knew the girl was right.

Renesmee then showed me one last image of me, sitting up on the couch now, silent tears falling down my cheeks as I tried to calm myself down.

This time, Renesmee's feelings towards this memory of hers was clear.

_I'm sorry for making you sad._

She then released me from her gift, eager to see my reaction and I could tell she wanted to be forgiven; she didn't mean to offend her new friends.

"It's not your fault," I whispered to her, as I rubbed her back. _It was mine, _I said to myself. "But thank you for apologising. I know you didn't mean to hurt me."

Smiling sadly, Renesmee leaned forward so her head was against my chest. Shocked by her hug, I cradled her gently back. I looked up to find Edward watching us, and I had the feeling he was pretty emotional too; he would have felt and heard everything that just happened between us.

I then looked over at Jacob who looked to be on the verge of grinning, but due to the seriousness of the situation, he was forcing himself not to. But his eyes gave him away; despite the circumstances, he was happy to see his imprint bonding with me, his mentor, brother, and friend. I felt ashamed to even remember all the terrible things I suggested about Renesmee to Jacob that day in La Push. If the child was frightening or dangerous, it was only due to her deep understanding of people despite being so young.

Edward chuckled at my thought, as I bent over and gently kissed Renesmee on the top of her head.

"Lunch is ready!" Esme called out, which was a welcomed relief; I had no idea what we were going to do or what we were going to talk about after that intense moment. Jacob approached our couch, looking cautiously between Emily and me, as if wondering whether we would be okay. I gave him a warm smile as I gently pulled Renesmee off of me and passed her to Jacob. The four siblings followed behind Jacob and their niece, looking at my imprint and I as they passed. All of them gave us a sympathetic glance as they went. Edward followed behind them, and I knew they were intentionally giving Emily and me some time to recover ourselves, given that they didn't need to eat so had no reason to leave the room.

The moment they left, I felt Emily's arms move away from my torso, and then she slid them up my arms and eventually rested them on either side of my face. I turned towards her, hoping she was okay. But I never had the chance to ask her because she softly pressed her lips to mine. I returned her kiss, wrapping my arms around her waist. We stayed that way for a couple of minutes, kissing each other passionately but tenderly.

"I love you," Emily whispered to me, as she ran her fingers through my hair.

I pulled my wife closer to me and then holding her tightly to my chest, I replied.

"I love you too."

When we managed to separate from one another, I whispered:

"I am sorry to have made that decision for us. Did I do the right thing? Are you okay?"

"More than okay," she told me without hesitation. "Are you alright?" she asked me, a concerned look on her face as she studied mine.

I nodded, not daring to say more, the pain- the memory of what I had done was still too fresh in my mind.

Accepting my answer for the moment, Emily grasped my hand tightly in hers then led the way into the kitchen. Lunch smelled delicious; Bella and Esme did a terrific job. I knew Bella was a decent cook before she became a vampire, but Esme also did amazingly well given she hasn't needed to eat for at least 80 years.

Hungry after the morning's intense events, we sat down opposite Jacob who was already shovelling pasta down his throat.

Even though Emily needed to eat, Renesmee really wanted to sit with her, and no matter what Bella or Edward tried to do, she refused to change her mind, especially given Emily was glad to have her company. The two of them spoke quietly throughout lunch, including various members of the family in their discussions every now and then. I could see the interaction greatly amused Edward, probably because he could hear all the things that were not said. And in between mouthfuls, Jacob was also entertained by what he saw and heard.

A couple of hours later, we left the Cullens. As we drove home, I couldn't quite believe our first interaction with Renesmee had gone so… unexpectedly and yet, so well. I knew that I would love that child, and that Emily would too. She was, as Jacob told me months before, very special.

Since then, we've seen Renesmee on special occasions, such as her birthday and Jacob's. Whenever Jake managed to bring her to La Push, Emily would always insist we make time to visit them at the Black's, just to say 'hi' and spend some time playing with her. Other than Quil, Embry, and Seth, who after joining Jacob's pack, had the opportunity to spend more time with her, I knew Renesmee the next best out of my brothers. And as for Emily, she always held a soft spot for the girl who not only told, but showed her how beautiful she was.

I shook my head to bring myself back to the present; Jacob had just arrived at La Push and was telling my pack that he will be proposing to Renesmee on her eighth birthday. Renesmee had grown up so fast, that I couldn't believe it when Jacob told us he was planning to propose to Renesmee in a couple of weeks. Could it really have been only eight years ago that she was born? It hardly seemed possible.

I could not have been more forward or more willing to give my congratulations and my best wishes to him, because I knew he would feel complete, like I did, when he could profess his love and devotion for his imprint to everyone he cares for. I shook his hand, and gave him a one-armed hug to show my excitement for him. Billy was the only one more enthusiastic than me, for he actually laughed in merriment, his smile permanently etched on his face for hours afterward.

Jacob invited us all to Renesmee's birthday, which we were always invited to, but now of course, there was a greater incentive to go. I immediately told him that I would bring Billy and Emily with me. Jared said that he would come if Kim was available. Only Paul, however predictably, put up a fight. Even though he had imprinted on Rachel, Jacob's sister, this did not seem to be enough of a reason to attend their wedding, let alone the proposal.

"If you think I am happy to one day be related to a vampire then you've got another thing coming!" he shouted when asked whether he would come to Renesmee's birthday celebration.

"Well as you have imprinted on Rachel, and Jacob, Renesmee, you have no choice, so you might as well try to be happy for them," I reasoned with my brother.

"No way am I going to show my face, it'll be paraded in front of me for the rest of my life anyway," Paul spat.

"Is Rachel aware of your thoughts? Because if the idea is so disgusting to you- if you dislike it so much you could just leave her," Jacob taunted him.

Paul screamed, his frame shaking rapidly.

"Jacob," I berated him sternly, before standing in front of Paul in an effort to keep him under control.

"Rachel loves her brother-" I reminded Paul forcefully.

"I don't see why!" Paul yelled, trying to get around me so he could see Jacob.

"Well she does," I persisted, mirroring Paul's moves. "So you know she will want to go to the wedding, if nothing else. Surely you will not let her go to the Cullen's without you?" I appealed to him, focusing on his responsibilities to Rachel rather than the fact he will be obtaining a sister by the end of it all.

I could tell that my strategy had worked, but Paul was still struggling to admit defeat, his limbs were still shaking rapidly.

"You- and Jacob can protect her. I- I'm not going!"

"We both know that's not true; you will come," I told him gently. "Besides, it is all of our duty, as Jacob's brothers, to go to his wedding and celebrate his marriage with him. It is always special when someone finally has the opportunity to marry their imprint. You know how amazing it is- surely you do not want to miss seeing Jacob so happy, no matter who his imprint may be."

Paul laughed harshly.

"Do you hear yourself? You were so against the half-vampire and Jacob being together, thinking that it was a mistake. Is it a crime for me to believe that it still _is_?"

"Well no," I faltered, "but your premise is in itself an error; if you saw Jacob with Renesmee you would know that nothing about their relationship is a mistake. It was _I_ who made the mistake, I judged her prematurely; we know that Renesmee is not a threat to us or humans. As you know she hasn't caused any problems over the last eight years."

"I refuse to meet her."  
>"Yet you've met the Cullens-"<p>

"Due to the Treaty and our responsibility for the safety of humans I have had to, but never by choice!"

"Well, it is your own loss if you choose to never meet Renesmee. I can hardly imagine Rachel living her life without wanting to visit her sister-"

"Don't you dare," Paul hissed.

"I am saying this because I know it's the truth. You can be as stubborn as you want, but I am just letting you know that you might as well get used to the idea. Renesmee and Jacob will be married, and Rachel will want to go," I said persuasively but gently, because I knew it would take now until the wedding no doubt, for Paul to come around.

Paul stared at me aggressively, with nothing to say.

Screaming in frustration, he ran further into the forest. A moment later we heard a howl- I would have to go after him later.

I looked at Jacob, hoping he hadn't taken Paul's reaction to heart. I was grateful that he hadn't; Jacob was so delighted to have everyone else's support or at least civility that he didn't mind Paul's outburst. He completely agreed with what I had said to Paul at the end, and only hoped that Paul wasn't so against Renesmee as to convince Rachel not to come to the wedding at all. Such a thing may have been possible if she was not Paul's imprint. But given that she is, we knew, by nature of their relationship, that she would convince Paul to come to the wedding, and in time, hopefully be able to at least accept Renesmee and her family as a part of our own.

Jacob organised with myself and Billy the time and date of Renesmee's birthday. He then told us he was going to take one of Edward's cars and go off to find the most beautiful ring he could. I had no doubt he would; picking a ring for Emily took me a long time because it had to be perfect. I warned Jacob he may be searching for a while. He laughed, telling me had already prepared himself for that possibility; Esme had made some snacks for him. I asked Jake whether she knew why he needed the snacks. He smiled broadly.  
>"Yup!"<p>

"Do all the Cullens know except Renesmee?"  
>Jacob nodded proudly.<p>

"And they're all happy for you?"

Jacob laughed loudly. "More than happy, except Edward, but he took it pretty well considering. Alice almost deafened me with her screams of excitement, Esme almost suffocated me with her hug, Emmett nearly knocked me over when he 'patted' me on the back, I almost died from shock when Rosalie hugged me, and Carlisle's smile could not have been broader when I told them. I think Jasper was the only one who remained reasonably normal! But I could tell he was happy for me, he wouldn't be able to help it," Jacob chuckled. "I can't imagine what they would do on our actual wedding day. I may not survive it!" he joked.

Billy and I laughed with him, and I wondered what the Cullens would give the happy couple of their special day- hopefully they wouldn't break his back or render him deaf!

Billy clapped his son on the back again in congratulations, and I was happy for him too; I knew the Cullens' support meant a lot to him, and I was grateful that they were so willing to bestow as much excitement and joy over the marriage as we were. Already they loved him as if he was family, and I knew that Jacob loved them equally as much: being a vampire or a wolf didn't matter anymore, and indeed it never should have to begin with.

I was wrong eight years ago; nothing about this was a mistake.

Everything had worked out for the best, and I couldn't wait to call Renesmee and the Cullens my family.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Jacob's POV

Two weeks later

The day was finally here.

I could barely walk- I could hardly breathe.

I felt the box buried in my pocket, dig into my skin when I sat down next to Nessie. She was so happy- I was certain she was having the best birthday yet. I only hoped I would be able to make it even more memorable for her.  
>I watched with bated breath as Edward stood up to give his usual speech to all of their guests. An amazing number of people show up to Renesmee's birthday each year, from the Quileute side as well as the vampire's. She is the most loved out of all of us.<p>

Without even thinking, I moved my hand over my pocket, just to make sure the ring was still there, which of course, it was. It took me a total of twenty hours of active searching to find the perfect ring. It was made of white gold with three diamonds, the one in the centre slightly larger than the two that surrounded it. The band was also encrusted with minute sapphires which lined half of the band. No one had seen it, except maybe Edward through my thoughts, but if he had he never said anything to me.

But I didn't care what anyone thought of it as long as Nessie loved it.

Edward was talking through a cordless microphone at the front of the large tented area the Cullens had set up in their backyard. His voice was ringing in my ears, but I wasn't listening to him- I couldn't listen to him. After Edward spoke it would be my turn- my turn to stand up and propose to Nessie in front of fifty people.

_What if she says no?_ I thought to myself, but then immediately pushed it aside; Edward assured me she was ready and yet… what if she wasn't? We had only been dating for two years- that's normally enough time… right? But I couldn't lose my nerve; I had to think positive.

_Nessie loves me, she'll say yes_, I kept telling myself, hoping to God I was right.

In an effort to distract myself, I looked around me and saw my dad, Rachel, Embry, Quil, Sam, Emily, and Seth sitting on the table adjacent to mine. They all knew what I planned to do, and every now and then I saw them look in my direction to see how I was going. I knew how excited they were for me, and I couldn't help but hope that some of their excitement was because they were looking forward to finally including Ness as a member of the tribe and a part of our extended family.

I then looked at those sitting on my table. Everyone, including Ness were staring at Edward except for Jasper.

_Oh great, he knows I'm nervous. _But I didn't feel any calmer, which I was quite grateful for; my anxiety kept me on my toes, I didn't want to placid about it all. Glad that Jasper seemed to understand this, I gave him a half smile. He returned it, and then turned away from me to look at his brother. I then swivelled to my right and saw Nessie, her eyes swimming in tears. And yet, despite the tears, she looked more beautiful than I had ever seen her. Edward must have said something heart-felt as he always does on Nessie's birthday.

Every year he manages to render his daughter speechless and tearful. No one ever liked following his speeches, so Bella always insisted on going before him. It was a routine now. I also tried to convince Alice to let Edward go last, but she insisted that my proposal was: 'the finale', and therefore,_ I_ had to go last. She probably had a point, and who knows? Maybe this year, my speech will beat Edward's!

Everyone began applauding then, and I watched with anticipation as Edward came over to our table to sit down.

_Oh shit, _I said to myself. _I'm up._

Edward, who sat on Nessie's other side, gave me a reassuring smile when Renesmee wasn't looking, so she wouldn't see.

Alice, who was the MC (naturally), announced that it was my turn to make a speech. I didn't always give a speech at Ness' party, only when I had something prepared, so Ness cheered with delight when she heard her aunt say I was going to speak.

Gulping, I stood up, walked to the front and took the microphone from Alice. She didn't say anything to me, but I saw in her eyes that she was hoping the best for me.

I then brought the microphone back to our table and stood next to Nessie. She looked at me clearly confused by my behaviour, but she didn't say anything. Then standing there, I addressed our guests.

"Hi everyone, my name's Jake and as you probably know, I'm Nessie's boyfriend," I introduced myself, probably unnecessarily, but I didn't care, I wanted this to be done right.

"I just wanted to thank you all for coming to celebrate Nessie's eighth birthday with us. We all know how special and wonderful she is, and I think we'd all agree that she looks amazingly beautiful tonight."

At this, there was applause and cheers as various males and even females vocalised their support for my compliment of Ness. My imprint beamed up at me, her eyes already sparkling with tears.

Holding back my own emotions, I turned away from her to stare at our family and friends again.

"I cannot begin to describe what it is like to tell this amazing woman how much she means to me and how much I love her. We've been together for two years, and everyday I learn something new about her- never a day goes by when she doesn't amaze me with her gift, with her kindness, her intelligence, and her love for her family and her friends. I can honestly say that I am the luckiest guy in the world to have such an amazing partner." At this, I turned to Nessie, and then taking a deep breath, I reached into my pocket and knelt down on one knee.

Nessie's hands went straight to her mouth as she gasped and I hadn't even opened the box yet. My hands were shaking as I forced the box open to reveal the sparkling ring. Immediately, tears began to fall down her face, but otherwise Ness seemed unable to move or speak; all she could do was stare lovingly into my eyes.

"Nessie," I began my proposal, unsure of how anyone else was reacting to what I was doing; I only had eyes for the gorgeous woman in front of me. "Since the day you were born I have dreamed of this moment: when I can tell you, our family and friends how much I love you. You are my life, you are my world; I wouldn't be half the man I am today if it weren't for you. You have given me so much joy I can barely begin to tell you," I told her, no longer able to keep myself under control, as my lips began to tremble and tears slowly fell down my cheeks. "I will dedicate my life to you. I will protect you, and do everything I can to make you happy. And every day from now until forever, I will tell you and show you how much you are loved. Renesmee Carlie Cullen, there is no one in the world who I cherish, admire, and love more than you. Will you please complete me by becoming my wife?"

By this stage, I was sobbing however composedly because I still needed to talk. Nessie was in a similar way, her breaths coming out in gasps, but she was smiling.

It seemed like forever, but it was really only a couple of seconds before she answered me.

"Of course I'll marry you, Jake," she cried, barely able to speak.

Collectively the room cheered upon hearing Nessie's response. I could hear people crying, some were laughing and almost everyone, I was certain, was talking to their neighbour.

I forced myself to focus on the task at hand, as I carefully, though quickly took the sapphire coated ring out of its box, reached out to touch Nessie's soft warm hand, and gently pushed the ring onto her left ring finger.

"It's beautiful Jake," she told me through her tears, then wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me passionately, our lips moving rhythmically against one another, our eyes closed to everything else around us. For a moment, my whole world was her; there was no cheering, and no pats on my back. All I could think of was Nessie's soft lips on mine, her beautiful scent, and the feel of her tears against my cheeks. I then picked her up and swung her around, her arms still around my neck, our lips still locked together.

Eventually I managed to release her. I opened my eyes and saw that despite the tears we had already shed her eyes were still swimming in tears, just like mine.

The moment I looked away from Nessie, I saw my father wheeling over to me, clearly eager to congratulate us. I bent down to give my father a hug, who clapped me firmly on the back.

"Congratulations Jake, I am so happy for you," he told me, and I was surprised to see that he also had tears in his eyes. This was going to be an emotional day for everyone. Nessie then approached my side as she too bent down to hug my father.

"Congratulations Renesmee, I look forward to the day when I can officially call you my daughter," Dad said, kissing Ness on the cheek.  
>"I'm very excited too," Nessie told my dad, her smile brighter than I have ever seen it. "Did you see the ring Jake gave me?"<p>

"No, Jake didn't show anyone, he's kept it a secret," Dad informed her as he reached out to hold her hand in his. "It's beautiful Jake," he commented.

"Though not as beautiful as its wearer," I whispered into Ness' ear. She blushed furiously.

"Enjoy the rest of your birthday, Darling," my father said to Nessie before wheeling himself away to give others space to congratulate us.

Seth, Quil, Embry, and Sam gave me hugs and slaps on the back in congratulations, and in doing so made a loud raucous by cheering, wolf-whistling and the rest of it. Thankfully when they congratulated Nessie, they toned it down a bit and gave her hugs and kisses on the cheek instead.

"This is so awesome!" Seth exclaimed.

"I'm with you there, Mate," I laughed.

Emily and Rachel came up behind them, and both of them gave myself and Ness enthusiastic hugs.

"I am so excited for the both of you," Emily whispered into our ears, happy tears pouring down her face.

"Thanks, Em," Ness replied tearfully back.

"Paul decided not to come?" I muttered quietly into my sister's ear when she reached up to hug me.

"He's in the forest watching over me," she sighed, tilting her head towards the place where the surrounding forest meets the Cullens' backyard. "I'm sorry I couldn't get him to come any further," she apologised.

"That's okay, I know you tried your best," I reassured her, not wanting her to feel bad. When we pulled apart, I looked into her face, wondering whether she was upset that Paul wasn't being more cooperative. But she didn't seem upset at all; perhaps she didn't want him dampening this day for us. Even so, I hoped he would come around, for my sister's sake at least.

"Congratulations, Jake."

"Thanks, Rach; it means a lot to me that you're here."

"You know I wouldn't miss this for anything," she reminded me fondly, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

The Cullens were next to reach us as all six of them, excluding Bella and Edward, stood in front of us in a line.

"Congratulations you two!" Esme greeted us, and I could tell that were she able, she would have been crying out of happiness. She was so lovely in that way.

"Thank you, Grandma!" Nessie cried as she hugged Esme tightly to her. During that time, I was able to shake hands with Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett, who thankfully kept their reactions to a minimum. When Esme had let go of Ness, my imprint asked her family:

"How long have you guys known?"

"For a fortnight, it's been _torturous,_" Alice answered immediately. "It was the hardest thing to keep it a secret from you, but I think we managed it pretty well," she added, her teeth sparkling.

Nessie laughed. "You did very well; I had no idea!" she praised her family. "Thank you so much for organising all of this Aunt Alice; it looks amazing," Nessie said to her aunt as she gave her a hug.

"You are very welcome Nessie."

Once she pulled away from Alice, and gave brief hugs to the other Cullens, she looked between their faces and must have realised that her mother and father were not amongst them.

"Where's Mom and Dad?" she asked. Carlisle then pointed over our heads. Simultaneously, Ness and I turned around to see Bella and Edward standing a good twenty feet behind us. They were observing us, both of them with smiles on their faces.

Nessie ran over to them while I stayed back a little to give them a bit of space. Slowly, I made my way over, my eyes glued to Edward's face. Although the guy was smiling, I could tell it was a sad smile.

"Your proposal was so beautiful Jake!" Bella told me when I was within arms reach. She then reached out to me and held me tightly in her arms as she pulled me to her chest.

"Aww thanks Bells," I mumbled in her ear.

"I was crying, I could barely contain myself," she admitted to me as we pulled away from one another. "Thankfully I can't shed tears otherwise I would look like a mess! Can you imagine what I'd be like on your wedding day?"

I looked at Bella's face and saw the slight glimmer in her eyes which told me that she had been crying in the only way she could.

"Thank goodness you're a vampire then," I teased her playfully, to which I received a hard slap in reply.

Nessie then went to hug her mother again, which left me face to face with Edward.

Before I could say anything, Edward spoke.  
>"Congratulations Jacob; your speech and your proposal were both amazingly written and perfectly executed. I think we can safely say that you have officially beaten my record for the most number of tears shed," he chuckled.<p>

"Well I had a bit of an advantage; I just proposed to your daughter on her birthday. Just seeing how happy she is was enough to make me tear up," I admitted to him, turning to my left to watch my imprint hug her mother for the fourth time since I had proposed. As my attention was occupied there, I was surprised when I felt a cold hand on the back of my neck which then pulled me down slightly.

"You have made her very happy," Edward whispered to me. I felt my heart warm as he held me at arms length and continued. "I never dreamed of seeing such an array of colours in my daughter's mind; her thoughts are completely filled with you and the future she dreams you will have together. Thank you for coming into our lives and for being so selfless in your love for, and devotion to, Renesmee."

_Jeez, how was he able to spontaneously come up with such heart-felt emotional speeches?_ It took me a while to come up with the best, most perfect way of proposing to Ness, and yet, he can say something like _that_ without even thinking.

Edward chuckled at my thoughts.

"Thank you for loving Nessie as much as you do. I know this hasn't been easy for you, Edward," I said seriously. "You have spent a lot of your time teaching her how to use her gift carefully, supporting her, and making sure she knows she will always be loved and cared for by you and Bella, and without that she would not have grown up to be the amazingly kind and generous woman that she is. I will always be grateful to you for the life you have given me- by giving me her. Seriously, thank you," I whispered, hardly able to contain my own tears of gratitude.

Edward had the time to give me a brief smile and a final squeeze of my shoulder before Nessie and Bella joined us.

The rest of Nessie's birthday was spent walking around the room, speaking to what felt like every single guest at her party. By the end of the day, my mouth was aching from smiling so much for so long. I couldn't believe I would have to do it all over again on our wedding day; I have never been so happy.

That night, Ness and I lay down on her bed together. I couldn't take my eyes off of her, whilst she kept switching her attention between me and her ring. I couldn't blame her, the ring was unbelievably sparkly and if I hadn't looked at it every day since I bought it, I would have probably been entranced by it too.

"Do you like it?" I asked her, when I saw her staring at it for the eighth time.

"I _love_ it," she told me, as she continued to gaze fondly at it. "Thank you, Jake, it is so, so beautiful."

"You're so, so welcome," I replied teasingly as I kissed the top of her head.

Nessie sighed contentedly as she closed her eyes and nestled into my side.

"This has been the best day of my life," she told me. She then inched her fingers under my shirt until they reached my chest, which made my heart race like crazy. She then replayed my speech and my proposal to me from her perspective. I was captivated by her images and every emotion she felt as she listened to my heart-felt words. Now I knew what Edward meant when he said he had never seen Renesmee so happy. I was so overwhelmed by her glee that I found silent tears pouring down my face. But Nessie didn't notice as she continued to lie next to me, completely content in showing me her favourite moments from her birthday. And it was these memories that I fell asleep with, Nessie's hand on my chest, and the feeling that I was the luckiest guy in the world.

XXXXXXXXX

Author's note: And that's the end of the chapter!

I hope you enjoyed Sam's POV, or more particularly, the flashback to the first time he met Ness. And also, Emily's first exposure to the Cullens- what did you think? It was this mini plotline that made this story quite a bit longer than I intended so I hope you enjoyed it!

I know a few of you have been looking forward to Jacob's proposal. I hope it met your expectations! I spent ages working out the exact words Jake would say, so I hope you imagined something similar!

As always, I so can't wait for your comments and feedback! I SO love reading them, you have no idea.

So the next two chapters are the Epilogue of 'Trust me', parts one and two. So sadly, this story is coming to an end :( But I hope you have enjoyed the journey, and that the Epilogue feels like a nice place to end this tale. I have fit in quite a lot in the Epilogue even though both parts take place on the one day ie. Jake and Ness' wedding reception. Essentially the entire reception will be narrated from the perspective of multiple characters, so where one character finishes their POV, a different one will take over (with a few new POVs we haven't seen before!) So I hope this sounds okay :) As always, I will post part 1 of the Epilogue on Saturday.

In the mean time, please, please review, and share your thoughts with me!

I so can't wait to hear from you all! You guys are so, so, SO amazing! Thank you!


	28. Epilogue Part 1: Thank you

Author's note: Hi everyone! Thank you to everyone who left a review for me for the previous chapter. I so appreciate hearing from you guys!

Welcome to the Epilogue! As you can see, this is part I which means there is a part II which I will post up on Tuesday/Wednesday. Originally, the Epilogue was one chapter, but then I had so much fun writing about the different things that could happen at Jake and Nessie's wedding reception, that I needed to split it into two! One thing that is a little different here is that there are a lot of new perspectives being shown in both parts, so I hope you enjoy seeing things from various view points. I promise Jake and Edward both have significant POVs, so don't worry! Despite splitting into two parts, there was a lot I had to leave out (for various reasons), but I promise they will appear in the outtakes I write, at which point I will tell you why I didn't include them in the main story line of 'Trust me'.

As I also told you previously, Charlie does not make an appearance here or in part II. I am SO sorry to any Charlie fans out there who were hoping he'd say something. However, as I have time skipped quite a bit, I hope you can forgive me being a little negligent of his character. Also, the speeches that are given at the reception reflect what I want the characters to say to each other. The content of the speeches, however, would have been forbidden had Charlie being present as it alludes to the secrets of the wolves _and _those of the vampires. So I apologise for deviating from canon in that way, but I hope you will forgive me :)

Happy reading everyone!

Reply to reviews:

Yoda11: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked the chapter, and sorry to make you cry! I am glad you enjoyed the Ness/Sam/Emily interaction though! And the proposal too :) I worked hard on both of those scenes, so I'm glad it paid off! Thanks so much for enjoying my story so much. I hope you enjoy these last two chapters!

pudget12: Thanks so much for your amazing compliments! Sorry to hear you were in tears too, but I am glad that the scene between Ness/Sam/Emily made you emotional. Yes, I really wanted everyone to be on good terms (because I think they would be by the end). With regard to Paul, let's just say we haven't seen the last of him yet :P But I am glad you think that so far I have his character written well :)

Yeah I have to admit I loved writing Jake's line regarding Edward being able to say such heart-felt things on the spur of the moment- I reckon he has a way with words! I'm delighted you thought that moment was perfect! Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I can't wait to hear what you think!

Sweetie7smiled: Thank you! I am so glad you enjoyed Sam's POV and his first interaction with Renesmee- I really loved writing that part, and I'm so glad you thought I wrote it well! Thank you!

Eruhin: Aww thank you so much for saying that I made you cry again. I'm so sorry! I wonder if you'll cry in this chapter… Hmm, you'll have to let me know! I'm sooo glad you loved the mini plot I came up with, and seeing the Cullens through Sam's perspective (and through Emily's in a way). I really wanted to focus on the emotions in that scene, because I knew Sam's would be intense and I wanted the Cullens and Ness to see that. And thank you for saying the proposal was perfect! Yay! I'm so glad I did it justice. I'm delighted you were able to relate to Jake's nervousness- I really wanted to portray how nervous he was despite knowing that Ness is his imprint; he never takes her for granted. And to be honest, the ring Jake describes is that one I would so love to receive from my boyfriend when he eventually proposes, LOL! And all I'll say about Paul is that he will reappear ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you for your amazing review, I SO appreciate it!

'Trust me'

Epilogue Part I: Thank you

10 months later: Jacob and Renesmee's Wedding Reception.

Paul's POV

"You're going to make me go, aren't you?" I sighed, resigned to the inevitable: another six hours in the company of vampires.

The wedding officially finished five hours ago, but of course we stayed around afterwards for photos and the rest of it. Billy then decided to stay at the Cullen's while Rachel and I returned to her place so she could get changed, do her hair again, and reapply her make-up for the reception dinner that would start in a couple of hours. I thought all of this effort was unnecessary; she looked stunning without it, but she insisted. So, I was lying on Billy's couch pondering how I could possibly get out of going while Rachel was busy getting ready for the reception.

From the bathroom, Rachel called back to me:

"Well I can't really make you, Hun; you're much taller than me and far too heavy for me to carry!"

I laughed at the image she created for me, but then asked her again.

"Seriously, Rach. I went to their wedding, I heard their vows. She is officially my sister now- isn't that enough?"

"If you think it is," she replied, sounding cheerful as if she didn't mind whether I went or stayed.

Frustrated with her lack of feedback, I leapt off the couch and met her in the bathroom; she was busy doing her hair.

"Honey, I'm not going to make you go," she said firmly, before I could even speak.

"But you are determined to go, right?" I asked, knowing it was a stupid question.

"Of course I'm going! Jake's my brother, and let's face it, she may be a vampire but Alice throws amazing parties! I'm _so_ not missing out on that!"

"Well then if you're going, then I have to go," I told her; she should know this by now.

"Then why did you start this conversation to begin with, Paul?" she teased me. "You knew I was going, otherwise I wouldn't be spending hours on my hair and make up!"

"I was hoping you would change your mind," I mumbled, realising how selfish it was of me to hope she would.

Rachel turned away from the mirror, her hands making a braid in her hair. She looked at me sympathetically, her eyes narrowed with concern.

"Why is it so hard for you to accept Nessie?"

"Argh! You're calling her Nessie too?" I asked; there was no way I was going to win this.

"Yes, because Jake's right; Renesmee is a little hard to say."

I sighed. "It's because she is part vampire, Rach! Since the beginning of our tribe's existence, we have evolved to defend our people and other humans _from_ vampires. Just being near them makes me want to lash out-"

"Like an instinct?"

"Yes, exactly like that," I acknowledged, relieved that she was finally starting to understand.

Rachel's lips pouted as she looked at me sympathetically.

"I'm sorry Hun; I know it's difficult for you to accept that the Cullens and the Blacks are family-"

"Which means they're _your_ family, and mine too given that I'm your husband," I pointed out.

"Yes, but you never know, it may be useful to have them on our side."

"Vampires were never supposed to _be_ on our side, that's why the gene gets passed down, so we can protect those we love from them!" I reminded her, feeling upset that she couldn't see what I could; every time we are near vampires is just another chance for them to stuff up- a chance for them to kill my imprint.

Seeing that I was getting emotional, my body shaking slightly, Rachel tied off her plait and pulled me into a hug. Immediately I felt myself calm down and I was able to take deep breaths again.

"They're not going to hurt me, Paul," she whispered in my ear, her breath sending shivers down my spine.

"You don't know that-"

"I _do_ know that," she insisted. "Did you see the way they were looking at Jake? They care about him- love him."

I scoffed.

"It's true! You know it is. They would never hurt us- they wouldn't do that to Jake, I'm sure of it."

"They could make a mistake," I persisted stubbornly, because it's true; everyone makes mistakes, even vampires.

"And if so, then that's what it'll be- a mistake. I will have you, all of your brothers, my own brother, and Ness to look out for me." Rachel let go of me then, her eyes narrowed with concern when she saw me shaking my head in disbelief; what if all of that wasn't enough to protect her? It didn't feel like it was anywhere near enough. Mistake or not, I wouldn't survive if something happened to my imprint.

"They seem like nice people," Rachel insisted, as she stroked my cheek with her fingers.

"They're not people, Rach- they're vampires!" I insisted, hating it that she wouldn't see them for the monsters that they are.

She gave me a grim smile. "Sometimes I'm not so sure."

"Rach…"

"I'm joking Paul!"  
>"Seriously, don't do that to me."<p>

"Honey, I know what they are, but _who_ they are is very different from that. I swear, when Jake and Nessie were saying their vows, all of the female Cullens were crying, even Rosalie."

"They can't cry-"

"You know what I mean," she smiled at me.

"Well I think Edward looked pretty monstrous when he had to hand over his daughter to Jake. I thought he wasn't going to let her go."

Rachel laughed. "I don't blame him- she's so beautiful, and her gift is so amazing. Given his own gift, I am sure they are really close."

"It's- it's just not right," I insisted. "This was never the way it was meant to be."

"Hmm, I don't know," Rachel replied teasingly as she placed a couple of clips in her hair. "I think they're made for each other, just like we are."

I melted as she gave me a dazzling smile.

I returned her grin, not able to help it.

"Well that's what imprinting is," I murmured, wrapping my arms around her.

"_Exactly_," she whispered, and then reached up to give me a peck on my lips, which I happily returned.

Once I pulled away from her so she could continue getting ready, I sighed.

"I should have known from the beginning that I was going to lose this one."

"Yep, you should have!" she called playfully after me, as I went to change my shirt into something a bit more comfortable.

"I'll be civil and that's it," I warned her, not wanting her to think I was going to become all 'buddy buddy' with the Cullens by the end of the day.

"That's fine, but don't think of it as losing; perhaps you will have fun!"

_Ha, yeah right._

XXXXXXXXXXX

Edward POV

I tapped my glass gently with a fork to gain everyone's attention.

"Excuse me," I called out, so those farthest away from the head table could hear me. "I'm sorry to interrupt your conversations," I apologised as the talking quickly subsided. Once I had everyone's attention, I continued.

"Firstly, I wish to welcome you all to Jacob and Renesmee's wedding reception. On behalf of the groom and bride's families, I would like to thank you for taking the time to celebrate this very special day with us. As Alice already explained to you, entrees will be served after the speeches. So without further ado, I would like to begin the official portion of this ceremony," I smiled at my audience and then averted my eyes to my daughter and her husband who were sitting opposite me at our round table.

I forced myself to take a deep breath, hoping I could hold myself together for the duration of my speech. Bella slid her hand into mine and gave it a squeeze. Renesmee looked as if she were about to start crying just from seeing the look on my face, and Jacob was already feeling sorry for me. I gave them all a smile, and then I began.

"Almost nine years ago, my beautiful daughter, Renesmee came into our lives. The first time I heard her mind, she was thinking how much she loved Bella's voice, and my own. At that moment, I couldn't help but love her. When I first held her, she captivated me, and like she did with almost everyone she met, Renesmee had me wrapped around her little fingers." As I recalled that moment, I smiled adoringly at my daughter. She gave me a teary smile back as she remembered the first time we spoke when she was barely a day old.

"My daughter, who is so precious, so unique, so generous, so insightful, so beautiful, and so gifted- I could not think of _anyone_ who could possibly deserve her. But as the fates would have it, I wasn't even given the opportunity to even consider how many young men I would have to frighten- I didn't even have the chance to buy a shot

gun-"

At this, a huge roar of laughter ensued, mainly from the tables seating members of the Quileute tribe, because they knew the only weapons I would need were on my person, and because they understood, from personal experience, how immediate imprinting is. I grinned at them, glad that they appreciated my joke.

I then turned my attention back to the newlyweds, though my gaze rested more specifically on Jacob.

"Before my little girl was even an hour old, she had claimed Jacob's heart." Renesmee gave him a kiss on the cheek and reached over to hold his hand, but Jacob couldn't drag his eyes away from me.

"I would have thought this to be impossible, if the very _real_ possibility wasn't so evident to me- Jacob's every thought, every feeling, and every concern was filled with my daughter. But even then, their relationship was not one-sided by any means," I allowed, as I watched the both of them closely and then continued.

"Even when Renesmee was still in Bella's womb, she had a powerful connection with Jacob; as if she knew that one day he would be a very important part of her life. Even then, she wanted Jacob to stay around… I suppose that is the magic of imprinting," I acknowledged, looking between Jacob and my daughter. Their minds were filled with an intense happiness at hearing my words, their eyes teary with emotion. "Before she was even born, Renesmee knew she needed to be with Jacob, and she has never let go of him since." My daughter wrapped her arms around Jacob and held him tightly as if literally proving my point. Jacob kissed her temple gently, hardly believing that even then, before she was even born, he was destined to be with Renesmee.

I then looked up at the rest of the gathering to continue my story. I was glad to see and hear that everyone was interested in what I was saying.

"But don't think I was happy about it," I said playfully, which resulted in everyone either scoffing or laughing quietly, as they imagined how they would have felt in my position. "Because I wasn't, I can assure you. Jacob knew this, and I remember thinking he was rather brave to stand up to me-" applause and cheers ensued from the Quileute tribe, evidently in support of Jacob taking the risk all those years ago, "but of course, there was nothing he wouldn't do for my daughter. He told me he would travel half way around the world to see Renesmee- it didn't matter if I had a guard of vampires preventing him from seeing her; he _would_ see her and be with her, and there was _nothing_ I could do to stop him," I quoted Jacob from all those years ago. I then looked in front of me, my eyes focused on Jacob's again.

"And I knew he was right; so I didn't bother trying. I saw that Jacob loved my daughter as much as I did, so what kind of a father would I be to deprive her of such a powerful, devoted love?" Jacob was completely speechless; his eyes were wide as he stared at me. He couldn't believe I was saying so much in front of so many people- it meant more to him than he could ever say.

There was an audible 'aww' in response to my words. Renesmee had tears pouring down her face, and Bella was rubbing the top of my hand with her thumb.

"I watched as my daughter grew up before our eyes, and saw that within three months she considered Jacob to be a part of our family, mainly because he was always around," I asserted.

"Daddy!" Renesmee admonished me as my listeners laughed.

I chuckled. Once the laughter died down, I corrected myself: "Of course, I am joking, though Jacob _was _around us every day. Whenever he walked into the room my daughter's face would light up and her day would instantly become better just being with him. Renesmee knew she could trust him, and knew (without really knowing why) that Jacob would always be there to protect her. The extent to which their emotions were intertwined was extraordinary, and I knew I would bear witness to something special. And so I watched as their relationship grew stronger. Jacob's devotion to Renesmee, his constant determination to ensure she had the best, that she was healthy, happy, and had everything she needed, has never faltered. I have never seen my daughter so happy, and I would know; I have had the privilege of being with her almost every moment of her life. Like any other father, I watched my daughter grow up hoping that she would be happy, healthy, kind, and most importantly, find someone to love her as much as she deserves, which to me was an unattainable goal for any man to hope to achieve."

I looked at Jacob and my daughter again. "But I was wrong; imprinting has allowed a fascinating connection to develop between the two of you that ensures your eternal happiness together. To know that Jacob could never leave you, and never hurt you because of this amazing connection you share, tells me that this was meant to be. So Jacob Black has done the impossible- he has exceeded every expectation I had of him and every hope I had for my daughter. I never dreamed Renesmee could be so overwhelmingly happy, and I have you to thank for it. Although it took everything I had to give her away, and it was not easy, I assure you," I chuckled as the audience laughed with me. "I know that this isn't goodbye, that I haven't lost you," I said, looking at my daughter, the full weight of my own sadness collapsing onto me. "You will always be our daughter and not a day goes by that your mother and I don't remember how lucky we are to have you."

Bella blew a kiss to Renesmee from across the table. Our daughter 'caught' it in her hand and then blew it back, the mother-daughter kiss from a distance which they've done since Renesmee was a young girl.

"Renesmee," I said gently, "when you were two years old, you asked your mother and me what love is. And now, I am certain you have your answer. Jacob is your other half, and I know you cannot conceive a life for yourself without him by your side. We are so proud of you, Renesmee," I told my daughter, my voice thick with emotion as I was suddenly overcome with my own emotions as well as my daughter's and my son-in-law's.

"I feel privileged to be the one to have the honour of placing you in the hands of the person who was made for you. I could not have handed you over to someone who loved you any less than Jacob does," I murmured earnestly, turning back to Jacob, who had tears falling fast down his face.

I averted my eyes from his face to take a deep breath to calm myself before continuing; my son and daughter's emotions and thoughts were still threatening to overpower me.

"So today is a special day for me; although I have considered Jacob my son for many years, it is now official," I announced to my audience. I then risked looking back at Jacob so I could say what I planned to say to him.

"Thank you for being such a special part of all of our lives. So now, after almost nine years of waiting, Jacob Black, I have the privilege of welcoming you to our family. On behalf of Bella and myself, we wish you and our lovely daughter," I turned slightly so I could look into Renesmee's eyes, "every blessing you deserve, all the happiness you could ever want, and may your marriage be filled with love, laughter, and fun. And most importantly, may it last forever. If everyone could please raise their glasses for a toast: to Jacob and Renesmee."

"Jacob and Renesmee," they echoed me, and then together we took a sip from our glasses, the vampires only a small one to keep up appearances.

"And I know you are probably tired of hearing me talk," I continued once everyone had put their glasses down. "But I wanted to take this opportunity to announce our gift to the newlyweds."

Renesmee squealed with anticipation as she grabbed onto Jacob's arm. For the second time since I begun speaking, Jacob moved, and kissed his wife on her forehead; he was excited too.

"So when these two have been out on dates or sleeping, the rest of my family, and a couple of Jacob's friends-" Jacob turned around to stare at Seth, Embry, and Quil who were all laughing in anticipation for Jacob and Renesmee's reaction, "have been working to have their wedding gift complete by today. I am proud to say that it was completed at 4am this morning-"

_We still have finishing touches! _Alice shouted at me.

"I know Alice," I muttered to her, before continuing. "However, there are still a few finishing touches we must add to it, so you won't be able to see it until you return from your honeymoon," I informed them. "Nevertheless, we hope you will love it when you return. So," I paused to create suspense, and also to reach into my pocket to retrieve a portion of their gift, "catch!" I called out to Jacob, who caught the key I tossed to him. "Here is the key to your new home."

Cheers erupted around me, though the laughter would have been louder if everyone could see Jacob's face like I could. His mouth was open, his jaw dropped down as far as it would go; he couldn't believe it. I was so glad we managed to surprise them both. Renesmee leapt out of her seat and ran around the table to hug me. Her arms wrapped tightly around my neck as she pulled me down to her.

"Thank you, Daddy!" she cried. Renesmee then let me go, to drape her arms around Bella's neck from behind, showering her with kisses.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You are so welcome, Sweetie," Bella answered, managing to kiss our daughter on her cheek despite how much she was moving with excitement.

Seeing Renesmee's reaction, Jacob decided to move around the table in the opposite direction to his wife. He shook Emmett's hand, who then pulled Jacob down to him and whispered: "We made sure the house frame was fixed with steel; we wouldn't want you and Ness knocking down all our hard work when you get back." And then he winked at Jacob. The boy stared at Emmett and then at me, horrified by what my brother was implying. I laughed with Emmett as Jacob turned red with embarrassment, knowing that I could hear what was said.

Once Jacob recovered himself, he gave Rosalie a brief kiss on the cheek despite the smirks she was giving him.

Alice leapt up to give him a hug, whispering: "It's so beautiful; you're going to love it when it's done!"

"I'll bet," Jacob agreed, knowing that if the house was half the size of the cottage, he would be happy- the boy was definitely going to be in for a shock.

"Emmett forgot to mention that we made your bedroom sound-proof, for the sake of your neighbours," Jasper whispered, a mischievous smile on his face. My brother was right, of course, but this was the first time I had ever seen him join Emmett on the 'dark' side. Jacob's eyes widened in disbelief as Jasper clapped him on the shoulder. "Have fun!"

_Oh jeez, _Jacob thought to himself as he cringed, no longer able to look at me as he moved on.

Esme was standing up waiting for him, her arms wide open.

"I suppose you designed it for us, Esme?" Jacob asked as he gave Esme a tight squeeze.

"I did, with the help of Alice and Rosalie. I spent a lot of time working out what I thought you might need and what you would like. I hope I've got it right!" And Jacob had no doubt that she had it perfect.

"Thanks heaps, Esme. I bet it's beautiful."

"You are very welcome, Sweetheart," my mother returned and then stood on her toes to give Jacob a kiss on the cheek.

Carlisle shook Jacob's hand enthusiastically, a broad smile on his face.

"Whose idea was this?" Jacob ventured quietly, not sure who suggested 'hey let's build Jacob and Renesmee a house for their wedding gift'.

Carlisle chuckled. "I believe it was the combined effort of Bella, Edward, Seth, Alice and Esme.

"Really?" Jacob asked, unable to believe it, then turned around to look at Seth, who with Embry and Quil, came rushing down to give their brother pats on the back and one armed hugs.

"Thanks heaps, guys."

"No worries mate, you're going to love it," Embry smiled broadly, which made Jacob a little uneasy knowing that his brothers also knew about the extra 'features' we put into the house.

"But like Edward said, you'll have to wait until you get back; I think Alice might kill you if you see the house before it's complete," Seth whispered.

Alice poked her tongue out at Seth.

Then turning back to Carlisle, Jacob gave my father his thanks, and then moved on to me.

A multitude of thoughts entered Jacob's mind as he looked at me. He didn't feel able to express everything he wanted to say to me in that moment, so instead he hugged me, whispering:

"Thanks Edward," in my ear. I was surprised the boy hadn't considered where the house even was; it could be miles away for all he knew!

He then let me go, and then gave Bella a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Bells," he said.

"You're welcome Jake!" Bella said excitedly. "I can't wait until you and Renesmee see it when you come back."

"Me neither," Jacob replied, though he sounded rather uncertain about it.

After thanks had been given all around, everyone resumed their seats except for me.

"Although we cannot show you where the house is, I can give you a rough idea of its location. We did our best to find a place that was roughly equal distance between our home and La Push. That way, you will be in easy distance from both of your families."

"That's so perfect," Renesmee told me and my family, her eyes sparkling with happy tears. Jacob nodded his agreement, unable to speak- happy that we had considered his family when choosing the best place to build them a house.

"So that is all I have to say for now. I will now pass the microphone to Billy Black, Jacob's father, to continue with the speeches."

I walked to the next table to pass Billy the microphone. He then waited until I sat back down before he begun:

"Wow," Billy said, clearly impressed. "I can't believe you already have a house Jake."

"Me neither!" Jacob asserted readily, causing people to chuckle.

"Well, I am not usually someone who gives speeches, so I promise to be quick. I just wanted to thank the Cullens: Carlisle, Esme and their kids for being so generous and thoughtful with regard to my son, and for welcoming him so readily into your family. And thank you, Edward and Bella for respecting and understanding the rules of our tribe to allow Jacob to stick around after all these years. I imagine he can be difficult to handle some times!"

Everyone laughed at this, and I was willing to bet that at least half of them knew this to be true.

"And to Renesmee: I still remember the first day I ever met you- you were such an enchanting child, and you have grown up to be a beautiful, caring, loving woman, and not only is my son lucky to have you, but I am honoured to be able to call you my daughter."

"Aww, thanks Billy," Renesmee whispered, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Thank you for making my son so happy, and welcome to our family."

All of the Quileutes cheered in support of Billy's welcome, and it was a relief to witness that Renesmee was as welcome to them, as Jacob was to my family.

"And finally, I want to congratulate you, Jacob on your wedding day. This journey with Renesmee and the Cullens has not always been easy, but you have persevered, and always acted with integrity. You have always followed your heart, whilst still respecting yourself, the Cullens, and Ness in the process. I admire you for that. You told me right from the beginning that this was the way it was meant to be, and I now know this, as well as you do. So thank you Jacob and Renesmee for bringing our families together."

Renesmee and Jacob stood up and gave Billy a hug and kiss. I could see the man really meant everything he said, that he was honoured to have Renesmee carry his family's surname, and was truly happy to have formed a strong bond with my family and his own. I couldn't help but agree with him.

XXXXXXXXX

Jacob's POV

After thanking my father for his speech, which I knew was probably not easy for him to do in front of so many people, especially when more than half of the attendees were vampires, it was my turn to gave my response to the speeches.

My hand was shaking slightly as I took the microphone from my father and walked to the front of the pavilion. I had no idea what to say- or rather, I knew what to say, I was just so happy- so overwhelmed that I could barely say more than a few words at a time. Edward and Bella turned around in their seats so they could see me properly. I stood next to Nessie's chair; being close to her was as comfortable as I ever hoped to feel given the circumstances. She wrapped her little hand in mine and gave me her beautiful smile, which gave me the courage to speak, and thank every one on our behalf.

"Wow," I breathed into the microphone, hardly knowing where to begin; the combination of the house and Edward's words had left me speechless. Like, he seriously rendered me incapable of talking; to tell so many people what he had learnt about imprinting over the years, and speak so openly about my love for Nessie and the fact that we're made for each other, was something I'd never thought he'd do. I looked over at Edward briefly, realising that everyone was probably wondering what was going through my mind, though of course, only Edward would know for certain. He gave me a reassuring smile, and with the touch of Nessie's hand as she ran it up and down my right arm, I finally managed to speak.  
>"Sorry about that- lots to take in at once," I apologised, laughing a little at my own discomfort. I looked around and saw that most people generally had a sympathetic look on their face; they could see I was a little emotional.<p>

"Anyway, on behalf of Nessie and myself, I just want to thank everyone for coming to our wedding and our reception to share this special day with us. I think I speak for my wife," I still relished in being able to call her that- it would never get old, "when I say that this has been the best day of our lives. It would not have been so amazing if you weren't here to share it with us, so thank you for making it so special and so memorable."

Everyone applauded with huge smiles on their faces. So far so good, but now it was time for the tricky part.

"So now I have to respond to the speeches. And I… well I guess I'll start with Edward," I decided awkwardly. God, everyone must have thought I was so disorganised. But no one seemed to care; I was the groom after all, so I was allowed to be a bit scattered- or so I told myself.

Slowly I forced myself to face Edward. It's not that I didn't want to pay him that respect; rather I just didn't want to look into his face for fear of losing it.

"Thanks Edward for welcoming me into your family. It seriously is an honour to call you, Bella, and all of the Cullens my family. I know it wasn't easy for you to get along with me at the beginning, probably because I was so set in hating you," I chuckled, though to my surprise, the Cullens and our other guests all laughed with me.

"But that didn't last for too long; you somehow managed to show me that you were worthy of my trust- though sometimes I had no choice _but _to trust you. And my dad was right; I can be difficult to live with at times," _when you wish you could turn off your gift, _I added in for Edward, who gave me a single nod. "But you've continued to respect and support me, and I think you trust me too. So despite our rocky past, I wanted to thank you for giving me the chance to be with Nessie, and to also be your friend. You told everyone how far I would go to be with your daughter- there is nothing I wouldn't do for her, and I know that was hard for you to accept when she was only an hour old. But you took me seriously, and as you said, you knew that to take me away from Ness would mean depriving her of so much," I paused for a moment to gather myself. "Just, um, thank you for her- thank you for loving her that much. And thanks to Bells as well- you have both given me such an amazing person. I am so happy to be here, I can hardly speak," I laughed feeling super embarrassed because it was so true. "And I feel so privileged to have such a beautiful wife who is connected with such a loving family. I wouldn't have missed being a member of your family," I told him, "for anything."

"Carlisle and Esme," I continued turning towards them. I could tell Esme was crying; her eyes were shining. "Thank you for being such amazing grandparents to Ness. I know she'd want to thank you both because she respects and loves you so much, and so do I. Thank you for everything: the house we're going to have, all the medical advice, your wisdom, your consideration, your love… I am so happy to officially be a part of your family."

"To 'the little pixie', that's the nickname I have for Alice," I explained to my audience, "I just want to thank you from Ness and myself for organising this wonderful wedding, all the decorations, catering, everything. There hasn't been a single hiccup!"

Everyone applauded, and clearly they were also impressed with Alice's hosting.

"And thanks also for allowing Nessie to have a say in some things, I know that would've been difficult for you," I chuckled, and even her siblings laughed. Alice poked her tongue out at me, but then started to giggle.

"You and Ness are so welcome."

"And to Rosalie, I know we haven't always gotten along very well. Thanks for sharing Nessie with me when she was a baby. Thanks for being there for her and for Bella too. I will always remember that Ness wouldn't be here without you. You know what I mean." Rosalie nodded, a small smile on her face.

"And to Emmett and Jasper, you're both heaps of fun to be around. Thanks for always being up for mucking about, and for being able to ease the tension when I've had a disagreement with someone. It's pretty cool how you can diffuse a situation in two completely different ways," I praised them, thinking of how Emmett's jokes could force a smile onto anyone's face, and how Jasper had used his gift to calm me down occasionally over the years

Emmett laughed, and Jasper smiled and gave a single nod of his head; they both knew what I meant.

"To Bells: my best friend. I'm sure you haven't forgotten that you promised me years ago that I would find someone to love. You were right," I grinned at her. "Thank you for fighting for Ness right from the beginning and for sharing her with me. And I'm so sorry I'm taking her away from you and Edward, but I promise we'll always stay close by."

"You better!" Bella asserted playfully as she returned my smile.

"Of course we will," I whispered under my breath, knowing that the Cullens would be able to hear me.

"And I want to say a huge thankyou to my dad and my brothers for being so supportive of me, and for being there to help out with expanding the cottage, and this new house I have yet to see. And most importantly, thank you for loving Nessie so much. I know she loves you too."

Ness then leaned over so she could blow a kiss to my brothers' and father's table.

"And on that note, I want to thank my beautiful bride, Nessie for being the love of my life. I have waited so long for this moment, and it was _so _worth the wait. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have you. I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together. I hope I can make you as happy as you make me. I'm sorta all 'speeched out' but I hope you know how much you mean to me, Ness. I love you so much."

"I love you too," Nessie whispered back as she stood up and gave me a passionate kiss.

The wolf-whistles from Emmett and my brothers were ringing loud and clear in my ears.

When we finally managed to let go of one another, I held the mic back up to my mouth as Ness sat down, then said awkwardly.

"So uh…" I paused to look around, specifically at Alice. "Is it time for entrees now?" I whispered, knowing that Alice and everyone else at my table would be able to hear. Alice nodded enthusiastically at me.

"Okay, so entrees are about to be served. And just letting you know that if for whatever reason you can't finish your meal," I said, looking more specifically at the tables seating vampires, though I tried not to make it too obvious, "the tables over here," I gestured, indicating to those housing my pack, "will be more than happy to help you out." My brothers cheered in agreement, to make it clear, if anyone doubted me, that they were eager to eat more than their share if required.

Alice then leaned over the table to take the mic from me. I gladly passed it to her, relieved that my part in the evening was over; I could just relax and have fun.

Ness leaned towards me and whispered in my ear.

"You make the most beautiful speeches," she told me as if in awe of my abilities.

I laughed. "Well, I only speak the truth, I couldn't have said those things so well if I didn't truly mean it."

"Yeah I can tell you meant it," she said draping her arm around my shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "You okay?"

I gave her a smile. Of course, she could tell I was on an emotional edge throughout my massive speech. I loved it how she could sense how I was feeling; just hearing her voice was enough to make me feel better.

"Yeah, I'm good," I reassured her, as I gave her a kiss on her temple. "I am the happiest guy alive."

"You can't possibly be as happy as me," she told me teasingly as she reached out to straighten the collar of my shirt.

Just then, waiters came around placing various dishes in front of us. The entrees looked and tasted delicious. Ness happily ate hers, and then, wanting to try the other entrée (the waiter alternated dishes), she ate Jasper's as well. As for me, I was starving, and I managed to, discreetly, eat all of the Cullen's meals. On such a day, they were not in the mood to eat as it made them feel uncomfortable to do so until they could dispose of it. But it didn't matter, I was more than happy to eat their share, and they enjoyed watching me devour it.

Then dinner came, and again the waiter alternated dishes so half of us had beef, and the other half, chicken. As these are my favourite meats, chosen specifically for that reason by Ness and Alice, I was eager to eat as much of the Cullens' as I could. But I wanted to save room for dessert, so I reluctantly gave over one of each dish to Embry, who happily shared them with our brothers just to make it fair. It amused me to see a couple of the waiters being asked by various vampires to give their dish as a present to 'the table over there' under the guise that they were too full. Edward seemed to enjoy it too, probably because he had the advantage of hearing the thoughts of the waiters as they passed our table.

Dessert was to die for. I had no idea what Alice and Ness had decided on, or where they had ordered the food from. It was simple, but so delicious. I was very happy with my choice to not fill up on the main course, but even so, I still didn't have enough room to consume all of my in-law's meals. I had to, much to the delight of Seth, who loved the desserts at least as much as I did, give away 3 dishes, one pavlova and two of the mudcakes. I seriously mourned their loss, and I'm pretty sure Edward was laughing at me as I watched them get taken away to the neighbouring table.

Once I was well and truly full, and hopefully so was everyone else, except for those who had blood as their diet, Alice took up the microphone again.

"I hope everyone has enjoyed their meal. I know Jake has!" she asserted, her voice trilling with giggles. I grinned at her; I didn't care- she was right!

"So provided that Jake can even _stand_," she joked still further, at which I poked my tongue at her- she really hadn't paid much attention to how much of Esme's cooking I could eat. "Then it is time for the bridal waltz," she announced, her voice higher than normal with excitement.

It was dusk, and the pavilion under which we were eating had these amazing lights that would dim and brighten when we needed them to. I had no idea how Alice was controlling the amount of light they emit, but it was pretty cool. So naturally, the lights were dimmed, and I found myself standing perfectly _fine_, thanks Alice!

Edward chuckled, and then leaned over past Bella so he could pass on my thoughts to his sister, who chuckled quietly.

I then held out my hand to my beautiful wife and asked: "Would you care to dance with me, Nessie?"

"Of course!" she agreed happily, her eyes shimmering in the lights as she placed her hand in mine, and we walked into the centre of the area.

I began to feel a little nervous as everyone turned in their seats so they could best see us. I had been getting waltz lessons from Alice and Jasper, and I felt I had it down pretty okay. Well this particular routine I knew by heart, but what I would be like dancing spontaneously had yet to be seen.

I placed my right hand on Nessie's waist and held her right hand in my left. When the music started, I gently moved her around our 'dance floor'. She was so unbelievably graceful, just like all vampires were. She never made a mistake, never stumbled, and always seemed to know where my feet were. Or maybe that was because we had practiced so many times, or maybe it was because she was my imprint? Whatever the reason, the dance went very smoothly. I was completely lost in thought, just thinking about her, about our wedding, how beautiful she looked in her long, white graceful dress that fell off her shoulders and accentuated the curves of her body like nothing else I've ever seen her in. Much too quickly, the music ended. I spun Nessie into my arms, and then gave her a gentle, but passionate kiss on her lips.

Cheers, wolf-whistles, and applause sounded at the end of our waltz. I was so happy everyone enjoyed our dance. In the distance, I heard Alice announce that other couples were allowed to join us for the next song, and I saw the Cullens with their respective partners walk out onto the floor. But I hardly noticed, I couldn't take my eyes of Nessie, and she too was looking up at me.

"You are so beautiful," I told her, and then bent down kiss her lips again. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and deepened our kiss. Right there and then, I wanted to take her somewhere private and just be with her away from prying eyes and Edward's gift… and probably Jasper's too. But that would have to wait until our honeymoon, something I had been looking forward to for years now. To be able to share my body and everything I had with her in such an open and loving way would complete me. Every time I remembered the dream Nessie had almost three years ago, made that desire even stronger in me. I wasn't thinking about it for more than 10 seconds when I snapped myself out of it.  
><em>Shit, sorry Edward. <em>I didn't hear him reply, but I was almost certain he would have heard my thoughts.

Nevertheless, I still kept my lips locked with Nessie's as we continued to sway to the music, her very proficient grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts dancing around us. Once this song was complete, I saw Sam and Emily, Jared and Kim, and even Quil and Claire walk out to join us. I gave them all a wave, finding it so cute that Quil had brought Claire out to have a playful dance with him. I wondered how he felt seeing me get married to my imprint, I was certain he couldn't wait for that day himself, and yet I was willing to bet he was perfectly content with their relationship the way it was- as long as he got to be with her, marriage didn't really matter.

After the next song, I had the chance to dance with all of the female Cullens as the males of her family all wanted to dance with the bride, and hell, I couldn't blame them. All of them, even Rosalie, thanked me for what I said about them in my brief, off-the-cuff speech, and I could see in their eyes how much they cared about me and about Nessie too.

My dance with Bella, realising that the last time I properly danced with her was at her own wedding during a very different time of our lives, I relished the moment to dance with her now as I should have done back then. She had lost all of her clumsiness as a human when she transitioned, and now she was extremely agile, wearing unbelievably high heels without once tripping over them. So we glided around the floor, her right thumb rubbing across my fingers.

"I am so happy for you Jake," she told me, and I knew that she was; after everything we had been through together. "You deserve so much happiness, and I am so thrilled that Renesmee is able to give that to you. I can see how much you love her, and I hope you will be happy together, _forever_," she whispered the final word into my ear, though I wasn't sure why as everyone at the wedding knew about our immortality.

"Thanks Bells. And I am sorry to take her away from you and Edward; I know how much you adore her."

Bella laughed quietly. "She will always be my little girl- my little nudger, no matter where she is. I am so happy I fought for her. At the time, I knew I was being selfish, that I was destroying Edward and you by insisting I keep her," she whispered into my ear so Ness couldn't hear. "I did it for me- all for me, but now I see that I did it for her too. So she could meet you all. She is in so much bliss, she is so loved by you, by our families, I cannot believe how amazing she is," Bella said her voice a little choked with emotion, looking over at her daughter who was dancing with Edward, her ear resting against his chest as he stroked her hair absent-mindedly. No doubt, they were sharing some emotional words through their gifts.

After my dance with Bella was over, Edward walked over and gently placed his daughter's hand, back into my own. I looked into his eyes, but he didn't say anything, just a small smile. I watched as he and Bella walked away to talk with the Denalis. Once they were out of earshot, I asked my wife:

"Were you having a heart-to-heart with your father?" As I waited for her answer, I wondered how upset she would be to leave her parents tonight.

"Yes, but I'm okay," she reassured me, though I could see that she was holding back her feelings from me. I would have to ask her about it later, probably when we're not surrounded by so many people. But then, I looked up and realised that most people had left their tables and were now standing outside of the pavilion, perhaps to admire the sunset.

I was about to resume dancing with Ness, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find Sam and Emily standing behind us.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Jacob, but I was wondering whether I could have the honour of dancing with your beautiful wife?"

"Of course," I readily said, and then looked to Ness to see if she was okay with that or if she wasn't quite ready given her talk with Edward.

"I would love to," Nessie said, though I could tell she was a little surprised at being asked. She then let go of my hand so she could give Emily a hug.

"Thank you so much for coming," I heard her whisper in Emily's ear.

"You are very welcome, Gorgeous. We wouldn't have missed it for anything," Emily replied, and then pulled away. "We must talk later; I believe my husband is waiting to dance with you," she pointed out, looking over Ness' shoulder at Sam and I as we happily watched them embrace.

"Oh right, we mustn't keep them waiting," Nessie laughed a little. I then took Ness' hand in mine briefly, gave it a kiss and a squeeze, and then walked off with Emily. "Enjoy your dance!" Ness called after us.  
>"You too!" Emily replied, and then wrapping her arm around mine, we walked a few metres away and began to dance.<p>

XXXXXXXXXX

Renesmee's POV

I was a little surprised when Sam asked Jacob whether they could swap partners. I had already danced with Dad, Grandpa Carlisle, Uncle Emmett, and Uncle Jasper, so dancing with Sam was the next logical step, I suppose.

Jacob kissed my hand, giving it a little squeeze before he left to dance with Emily, who looked stunning in a maroon coloured dress; it suited her skin colour so perfectly.

Sam gently took my hand in his and placed his left on my waist. We began to waltz in our little area- he was quite a good dancer, though not as good as my family, no doubt due to the age difference, and the natural grace vampires possess. He was better than Jake though, not that I would ever tell Jake of course.

"Thank you so much for coming, Sam," I said to him- it meant heaps to me that so many of Jake's brothers did come, knowing that they would feel uncomfortable being around so many vampires.

"You are very welcome. As Emily said, we would not have missed it. I still can't believe it has been almost nine years since I met you," he told me, looking into my eyes and I could tell he remembered the moment well- so did I.

"Neither can I. Time has flown by so quickly, but I've loved every second of it," I replied cheerfully, so excited to start the next part of my life with Jacob.

"I am very happy for you and Jacob; having my own imprint," Sam paused to look over at Emily, who waved at him from Jacob's arms, "I know how happy Jake feels to finally marry you."

"I'm sorry he had to wait for so long," I admitted to Sam. But my dance partner shook his head.

"Believe me when I say that the wait is always worth it. Jacob would not have seen the time as wasted, every moment with you would have been a blessing; I can promise you that."

I nodded, knowing that he was right; Jake had told me so much himself whenever I had told him of my concerns. I was glad that Sam agreed though. In my eyes, everything has happened perfectly; the first six years of my life was spent getting to know Jake, so every moment was precious to me too, not that I really knew how precious until I realised how much I loved him.

"I haven't had the chance to see you or Emily much recently," I observed sadly, looking up into Sam's face to see whether he had realised too.

"Yes, Emily has mentioned it to me a couple of times. We were meaning to visit you at your parent's place, but unfortunately we haven't had the time between our work schedules."  
>"We've been busy too, organising for the wedding; Aunt Alice has kept me on my toes every day for the past three months, trying on various dresses, for myself as well as my bridesmaids! Not to mention flower choices, colour schemes, and what food to serve, knowing that half of the guests wouldn't be eating."<p>

Sam laughed. "She could have chosen anything, we would have eaten it!"

I joined in with his laughter. "I know, I actually told her that, but she wouldn't hear of it and insisted on catering and sit down meals."

"I would have thought she'd just make all the decisions for you," Sam joked, looking around briefly to make sure Aunt Alice wasn't nearby. I giggled at his comment.

"Yeah, but she consulted me on everything. She really is a wonderful aunt- the best I could ask for."

Sam nodded, and I could tell he believed me. "She seems to be a lot of fun."

The next song was quite a slow one, which made it too difficult to waltz properly, so instead, Sam and I lowered our arms. I wrapped mine around his middle and leant my ear against his chest, his heart beating solidly against my ear. In turn, he placed his long arms around me and hugged me close. He was so warm, like all of his brothers, and it reminded me of Jacob. For a moment, we swayed in silence, but then a question occurred to me, one I had wanted to ask for the last two to three years, but had never had a private moment with Sam to ask it,

"Can I ask you something?" I ventured quietly, my lips hardly moving. I hoped he could hear me.

"Of course," Sam replied, and I could tell he was curious what I wanted to ask.

"I know- I know this is probably not the best time," I whispered nervously, my arms tightening around him, "but it's something I have wondered about since I found out about imprinting."

"Given that it's your wedding day, I am more than happy to answer your question, Renesmee," Sam replied generously and I could tell he was trying to calm my nerves.

"You don't have to tell me," I insisted, wanting to warn him, however indirectly that I was going to ask a personal question.

"I promise not to make myself too uncomfortable."

I wasn't able to look at him, knowing that I would lose my nerve if I did, so I continued looking to my side, my ear still pressed against his chest. I considered whether to show him what I wanted to ask, but then decided I should pay him the respect of at least asking it myself without forcing upon him my memory from 9 or so years ago.

Taking a deep breath, I asked him:

"Why- why," I exhaled quickly, hardly able to believe how difficult it was to ask my question. It felt so awkward for me to say that I knew I shouldn't, and yet, I was so curious; Jacob, Dad, and Jake's brothers refused to tell me what happened and no one else seemed to know. Perhaps that should've been a sign to not explore it further, but I had already started, there was no going back.

Sam kindly rubbed my back a little; he could tell I was distressed. Taking another deep breath, I tried again.

"Why did you attack Emily?" I forced out of my mouth, my words sounding terrible as I heard how they must have sounded to Sam.

Although we were still swaying to the music, I felt Sam's heart beat harder and faster against my ear.

I squeezed him tightly to me, my eyes pressed shut with guilt.

"I'm so sorry," I squeaked, hoping Sam could hear me. "I felt terrible for asking Emily about it all those years ago; I saw how upset you were. And now that I know what it means to have an imprint, I can only imagine how much pain you must have gone through. And of course, I know it must've been an accident- that you would not have wanted to hurt her, but I can't work out how it happened. I know I'm being so selfish- I know that Jake would never hurt me, just like you would never hurt Emily, but- but you did, and I just wanted to know why, and- and how. I'm- I'm so sorry, Sam. Please, forget I asked," I blubbered, hardly knowing what I was saying; already I could feel how upset he was and nothing I said was helping him. I was being unbelievably selfish.

Disgusted with myself, I pulled away from Sam with the intention of collecting my feelings privately before I could say anything else to hurt him. But the moment I tried, Sam grabbed on to me, his grip around me tightening as he kept me close to him.

"Shhh," he soothed me as one of his hands patted me gently on the back. "It's okay to be curious, and although it is difficult to talk about, I feel comfortable giving you a proper answer now that you are older."

"'Kay," I replied weakly, relieved he didn't despise me for prying.

Sam began turning us in slow circles again. A new song had started, and although it was fast enough for us to do a waltz, it was easier to stay as we were. I looked behind Sam's shoulder and saw that Jake and Emily were finished dancing. They were walking back to us. I was about to say something to Sam, when I saw Daddy intercept them. I couldn't hear what he said, but Emily and Jake looked over at us, both with small smiles on their faces, then went off together with Dad; probably to get a drink.

_Thanks Daddy, _I said, hoping he heard me.

"Before I became a wolf," Sam began, his voice deep and very narrator-like, "I was going out with Leah Clearwater."

"With Leah?" I asked, completely surprised; no one had ever mentioned this to me, but it did explain a lot, like why she hated imprinting so much.

"Yes," Sam sighed sadly. "Leah and Emily are cousins and very close in age, and were good friends. I had met Emily a few times, we got along well, but of course I only had eyes for Leah. I loved her," he told me simply.

"When I phased for the first time, it took me a while to adjust to being a wolf- the heightened senses, the shaking, the edginess, and the fact that I was quick to temper. Whilst I was going through this process, Leah was concerned, but she gave me the space I needed to come to terms with what I had become, not that she knew why I needed that time. As she was not my imprint, I was not allowed to tell her the tribe's secrets. Emily came to La Push to keep Leah company and support her during what was a 'strange' time for me. One weekend, I visited Leah and her family for a barbecue. I knocked on her door, Leah answered and together we held hands as she led me to the backyard… And there was Emily."

"And you imprinted on her," I whispered, feeling so terrible, for all three of them.

"Yes, I felt the same way Jacob did the first time he saw you. From that moment on, I could only love one person, devote myself to one person and that person was Emily. I let go of Leah's hand and almost ran up to Emily, ready to tell her how I felt. But I stopped myself, I knew I had to; in that split second my life had become so complicated. I had to gather my thoughts, so I turned around and walked around the block multiple times thinking about what I needed to do. When I returned a few hours later, I pulled Leah aside and told her that I wanted to end our relationship. She was heartbroken, thinking that my reasons were due to the secrets I was keeping from her and the strange way I had been acting. Consequently, she hoped that when things began to settle down, we could be in a relationship again. I told her, with as much certainty as I could muster, that I could never be with her. I felt terrible, seeing the devastation on her face. She was, understandably, crushed and she could not comprehend how my feelings for her could change so quickly. I cried without shame as she kept demanding answers from me- ones I could not give; I couldn't tell her that I had fallen for her cousin, and due to the laws of the tribe, I couldn't tell her why anyway."

"That must have been so difficult, Sam. I'm so sorry," I whispered soothingly.

"It was, and I was certain that convincing Emily of my love for her would be even more difficult; I knew she would take Leah's side. I had to wait two agonising days before I could tell Emily how I felt. I waited until she had returned to her own home in Neah Bay, before pursuing her. When I knocked on her door, she was surprised to see me given I recently broke up with Leah. When I told her that I left her cousin to be with her, she was horrified. Emily screamed at me, wondering how I could hurt her cousin- her best friend in such a way. Didn't I have any morals? Couldn't I see how much I had hurt Leah and through Leah, her? She told me I had to forget my feelings for her, apologise to Leah and try to make it work between us. I told her it was impossible for me to do that, but she didn't believe me. A feeling of doom collapsed upon me that perhaps I could never be friends with Emily, let alone be with her as my partner."

Sam paused then as he took a couple of deep breaths. I could feel his arms shaking around me. I squeezed my arms around him, and gently rubbed circles on his lower back.

After a couple of minutes, Sam continued in his deep voice.

"But I knew I had to keep fighting- I was determined to at least be heard. Eventually, I managed to convince Emily to hear me out. Because she is my imprint, I was allowed to tell her our tribe's secrets and about imprinting. And so I spent hours explaining it to her, though reinforcing that she was not allowed to tell anyone, not even Leah about it. She heard me out- she heard me say that I was tied to her for life and even if I wanted to, there was no way for me to be with Leah when I loved _her_ so deeply. If I went back to Leah, I would be living a lie, we all would be. I then told Emily about vampires, and our role to protect our tribe and other humans from them. She was fascinated with my stories. We spent many days outside walking around in deserted areas where no one could overhear us. But of course, people talked, and eventually word got around that Emily and I were dating, and Em feared what Leah would say when she found out."

Sam took a deep breath before continuing.

"So, Emily lashed out at me, furious with herself for allowing this to happen. She met me in private and told me that I was to stay away from her- she never wanted to see me _again,_" Sam's voice broke and I felt his chest heave with suppressed sobs.

"It's okay Sam," I whispered quietly, rubbing my hands up and down his back.

Swallowing a couple of times, Sam managed to continue.

"I had to obey her- anything to make her happy, but I was devastated. She tried to get me to go back to Leah before her betrayal and my own was discovered in La Push. But I told her again that I couldn't love Leah the way she deserved. Emily was so angry with herself for going behind Leah's back- so frightened that Leah would never forgive her, Emily forced me away, pushing me, yelling at me, calling me a liar, saying that I was running away from my responsibility to Leah, and that I was disrespecting her own wishes. Emily then accused me of being like my father, who left my mother when I was young because he couldn't handle providing for us any longer. I had spent my whole life bearing _his_ responsibilities, and doing everything I could to be the _opposite_ of him, that without meaning to, Emily pushed me too far. I felt so angry, so hurt by what she had said… I tried to stop her from getting closer to me, but instead I…"

Sam bowed his head towards me, his face hidden amongst my hair so no one could see that he was crying.

Tears slowly fell down my own face; I felt beyond terrible for ever asking my question to begin with, but also for hearing the answer which I could see hurt Sam in a way that was beyond any action or words. I ran my hands faster up and down Sam's back, as I said loud enough so he could hear above his sobs.  
>"I'm so sorry, Sam. You don't have to tell me any more, I understand," I choked out, trying to maintain my composure.<p>

I felt his tears fall quick and hard onto my shoulder, he couldn't speak.

"Emily's okay- she's more than okay- she forgives you; you made a mistake," I sang to him, trying to calm him down.

"I wanted to die," he cried, however quietly into my ear. "I hated myself for what I had done; it hurt too much to live with the pain I had caused her. I destroyed her face!" Sam's body began to shake, due to self-anger.

"She is still beautiful, Sam. Calm down, she's okay," I told him gently, though still singing to him. "You're okay."

"I know," he readily acknowledged, his lips moving against my shoulder as he spoke.

"And Emily forgives you; she knows it was an accident- no matter how you hurt her, or why, she could never stop loving you."

Sam lifted his head then. I craned my neck, so I could look into his face, afraid of what I may see. His eyes were closed, but his cheeks were stained with tears. Sam used his hand to wipe his tears away discreetly. I briefly glanced around, glad that no one was looking at us, though I was sure Emily, Jake, and Dad at the very least knew what was happening.

I watched as Sam took a deep breath and then released it slowly through his mouth.

He opened his eyes to look at me, they were swimming in tears, but I could see he was much calmer than before.

"Since that day, I have forced myself to keep my grief hidden from her- I do not want to upset her. As painful as it is to relive that aspect of my life, it is a relief too… to be able to tell someone by choice, rather than through my mind which is how your father and Jacob found out what happened. It allows me to feel like it isn't a secret- that people do not hate me for what I did."

My tears were still falling fast; his guilt, his remorse was plastered all over his face.

"Of course we wouldn't," I reassured him, my choice quavering with sympathy. "I respect you so much for telling me in so much detail what happened. I am so sorry things were so difficult for you at the beginning, but I imagine it was all worth it?" I ventured, hoping he would see it that way.

Sam nodded, a small smile on his face. "Yes; when Emily was lying in hospital, bandaged and in pain, she realised that the only person she wanted to be there with her was _me_," Sam breathed, clearly unable to believe the truth of it.

I smiled.

"So it worked out for the best- she needed time to realise how much she'd miss you- that she needed you as much as you needed her," I pointed out, knowing that my heart would always crave for Jacob no matter what he did to me.

Sam nodded. "Thank you for understanding,"

"And thank you for answering me, Sam; you didn't have to. I'm sorry though; I never wanted to make you sad."

Sam laughed deeply. "That is exactly what you told me the day we first met."

"I remember," I smiled at him.

"You are very special, Renesmee," Sam whispered into my ear, hugging me, and I knew our dance was about to end.

"So are you."

"Thank you for dancing with me."

"And thank you for being so honest. I am so sorry it was so upsetting. It's my wedding day! We should be happy!" I insisted cheerfully, wiping away my own tears.

"I am happy, I promise," Sam smiled down at me. "But before I let you go, I thought I would just let you know that Paul is here."

"Yes, I saw him sitting next to Rachel earlier."

"Yes and he has promised to be on his best behaviour, but just in case…"

"Keep an eye on him," I finished for Sam.

"Yes," Sam replied, amused that I knew what he wanted to say. "Congratulations once again, Renesmee. And welcome to our family. We must spend more time together once you and Jacob return from your honeymoon."

"I would love that," I told him.

Just then, Jake and Emily appeared; they were walking up to Sam and me. It was perfect timing, yet I had the feeling Daddy had helped them out with that.

"May I dance with my wife again?" Jake grandiosely asked Sam, putting on an act as he opened his arms wide and bowed to him.

"Of course, Jacob," Sam replied, suppressing a laugh. "She is all yours," he reassured my husband, kissing me gently on the hand before passing me back to Jake.

Jacob resumed his dancing position as he held me. I couldn't focus on his face though, as I watched Sam and Emily walk away towards other members of the pack from over his shoulder. Once they had walked a fair way from us, but still no where near their family, Emily stopped walking and pulled Sam gently towards her into a hug.

I watched them with apprehension, hoping I hadn't made Sam miserable for the rest of the night, because that would mean Emily would be down also. But after a few seconds, they pulled away from one another, and hand in hand, they continued to walk on.

Jake, who had seen where I was looking, turned around too.

"His guilt is so strong," he whispered to me, as if he himself were experiencing a portion of Sam's pain.

I stared at him avidly.

"I shouldn't have asked him should I?" I almost squeaked, fearing I had entered forbidden territory and Sam had just been too polite to refuse me on my wedding day.

But thankfully, Jake shook his head.

"Since you were a baby I think he has always wondered whether you would ask him. I remember how shocked he was by how you responded; you were so young, and yet you understood him so well. Sometimes it's nice to be able to admit our faults to someone we know will listen and love us anyway," he reassured me, a loving smile on his face.

"Thanks Jake," I whispered gratefully. "It must've been hard with Leah though, I had no idea she ever dated Sam, though that would explain why she was so happy to join your pack- not that you're not a good alpha," I clarified.

"When Leah phased for the first time, Sam was her alpha. It was a torture for both of them to be so closely connected; her bitterness and his remorse made it difficult to be around them for a few days. Every day for at least a week, they couldn't share each other's minds; memories of the past kept popping up, which hurt all of us. I couldn't be in Sam's head without wanting to escape his feelings. It created a bit of a rift in the pack. He feels terrible for what he did to both of them, but Emily is strong, and she has supported him through it."

"They are an amazing couple," I muttered in awe, lost in thought by what Jake had told me.

"They sure are," Jacob reinforced, and then pulled me into a hug.

"Daddy told you what we were talking about- that's how you knew right? You couldn't overhear us could you?"

"Edward told us, you're right. And no, we couldn't overhear."

"Good," I breathed with relief.

"So Mrs Black," Jake addressed me by my new name as he suddenly twirled me around and then caught me.

I shrieked with thrill; his behaviour was so unexpected.

"Did you want to keep dancing, _or_ did you want to solve a particularly interesting mystery with me?" he asked me.

I stared at him, my eyebrows raised.

"A mystery?" I teased him, wondering whether he was playing a trick on me.

"Yeah," he said seriously, though I could see the humour in his eyes. "You see, Emily and I spent some time looking for Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie-"

I laughed. "Well if they're missing, I suggest we leave them alone- we wouldn't want to walk in on them doing anything."

Jake barked with laughter. "I highly doubt they would be doing something like that… though I wouldn't put it past Emmett. Anyway," Jacob continued shaking his head free of possible scenarios, "I am convinced they are around here somewhere, and some of my brothers are missing too. Shall we see what they are up to? Or would you prefer to keep dancing?" he offered me his hand, a gesture which would suit both options.

"Well I _have_ been dancing for a while now, and I think your mystery sounds interesting," I told him mischievously. But instead of taking his hand, I ran ahead of him in search of my brothers, uncles and aunts. Though of course, my main purpose in running was just so I could feel Jake's strong, warm arms wrap around me when he eventually caught me. Then together, our arms around one another's waists, we began to search for our missing family members.

XXXXXXXXX

Author's note: So what did you guys think of the first part of the epilogue? I hope you found it interesting and not too mushy. Did you like the speeches, and the little insight I gave you guys into Paul's mind? Please let me know what you thought!

The talk between Ness and Sam in this chapter and her interest in Emily's face in the previous one is primarily what made this story longer. I know it is a little off my original 'Jake and Edward' story, but ever since I read New Moon, I always wondered why Sam attacked Emily. When Stephenie Meyer released the illustrated guide, I was so excited, in the hope that Sam/Emily's back story would be explained. And it was! So what is outlined by Sam in this chapter is essentially what Stephenie wrote about them. So I hope you enjoyed that little detour :)

And a complete side note: I know the head table is usually a long table at the front, but I always found it a little impersonal, especially given how personal the speeches are at this particular wedding. So I hope you can forgive me for placing Ness and Jake with _her_ family on a _round_ table.

So there is only one chapter left guys! I can't believe it! The next and final chapter is quite a long one. I promise we will find out where everyone's got to :) And there's more mushy stuff left as well, so stay tuned!

As always, please review :D You know how much I love to hear from you guys!


	29. Epilogue Part II: Epic Opportunities

Author's note: Alright guys, this is part II of _**III **_parts to the Epilogue. I swear to you it was just meant to be two parts, but I recently added so much in that it became a 35 page chapter! I figured this was probably too long, so I have separated it into parts 2 and 3. But don't worry, I will post up part 3 tomorrow, I just wanted to give you guys a day to read this one (for those who are really keen and can spare the time!) before posting up the next.

This part of the Epilogue was quite fun to write- a break in between the more serious aspects of Jake and Ness' wedding reception. This part is all written from one character's perspective (I won't tell you who, but you can probably tell by the name of the chapter). It is a new perspective, so I really hope you enjoy seeing things through this character's eyes!

So I hope you love the chapter, and please remember to review when you're done! I will post up the next and final chapter in 24 hours :)

Response to reviews:

ZenNoMai: Cool! Great minds think alike re. wondering about Sam/Emily's back story! Definitely would make a good movie for sure, but they probably won't do it :( I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter, especially all the little moments with Rose and Jake. There is one moment in this one that I hope you will like (it's only small though). Believe it or not, one of my outtakes will consist of the conversation Rose and Jake have when they dance together! So I hope you enjoy it once I have gotten around to writing it! I decided to write that outtake solely due to you and your love of them being together :) So hopefully it lives up to your expectations!

pudget12: I'm so glad you loved that line in Edward's speech :) I thought it was a nice way of bringing things back to the moment when Ness first told her parents her feelings for Jake. I'm SO glad you loved Jasper and Emmett's comments regarding the house! I definitely chuckled when writing it! I'm so glad Jacob's speech also brought a tear to the eye. That was what I loved most about Breaking Dawn- the fact that you could so see how things were meant to be- that Bella was meant to fight for Ness, as a gift for Jacob. It all fits! :D And I so agree that Bells and Jake dancing together was bittersweet, you describe that moment perfectly. And as you have probably gathered from my author's note- this is not the final chapter (I just couldn't stop writing lol!) but the next one definitely will be. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one- I can't wait to hear what you think!

Eruhin: Tears are good, but I just feel like apologising anyway ;) I'm so glad you loved all the speeches- I definitely spent the most time on Edward's that's for sure. Haha, I'm glad you didn't think the house was too much of a stretch. Given their wealth as well as the resources (physical and material) that they possess, a house seemed like the only gift the Cullens would give their beautiful Renesmee (and her husband). I'm so glad I was able to introduce you to the back story of Emily and Sam :) It was definitely a story I enjoyed reading (from Stephenie's illustrated guide) and one I had wanted to hear about for ages! So I am delighted that you enjoyed that part of my story and learnt something true to canon about the characters! I'm so glad you liked Paul's POV and my characterisation of Rachel. It was difficult to work out what she'd be like, so I am glad you found her cute! And as you probably gathered from the Author's note- this is not the last chapter! But the second last. I will definitely be posting up the final one tomorrow. And yes, I am glad about the outtakes too, because I am not ready to let go of this story either! Thanks so much for being an amazing reviewer. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this chapter!

'Trust me'

Epilogue Part II: Epic opportunities

Emmett's POV

So the thing about living with the same people for over eighty years is that you begin to understand the way their minds work- the way they fight- the way they race.

Bella's transition into a vampire provided me with a bit of excitement, especially when she was a newborn. Not that I'm willing to talk about how I went against her back then… But after a year, I was on par with her again, thank _God_. Edward loved taking every opportunity (while he had the chance) to tease me about being beaten by a 'girl'. Of course, we were _all _being beaten by Bella- it was a little disconcerting to be honest! But I guess Edward knew I was the only one who didn't like the feeling of losing, so he rubbed it in while he could. Nowadays, it was pretty thrilling to watch Edward and Bella fight; given that my brother cannot hear Bella's thoughts, it makes for interesting competition. Now, you may not think that Edward wouldn't fight Bella, but she's pretty feisty, and it didn't take him long to realise that being a gentleman was no longer going to impress her; Bella had some guts of her own now that she possessed the vampire traits that provide her with the skills to fight well.

So with so many people at Jake and Ness' wedding reception, vampires and wolves alike, I was dying to get some fighting going- just pretend fighting of course, no injuries allowed… well irreparable injuries anyway. So after myself and Jazz danced with Ness, and spent roughly one hour catching up with the Denali, Amazon, and Irish covens (given we talk so fast, it didn't take long), we then decided to migrate to an arable area in the forest surrounding our property, so we could begin some fighting matches without disturbing anyone who didn't want to join. This didn't stop me from inviting as many people as possible to come with us though. Ness and Jacob were still dancing with Sam and Emily, so they were out for now. Carlisle and Esme were speaking with Billy, but said they would join us later (probably to adjudicate than anything else). Seth, Embry, and Quil were pretty game, as they usually were, to have some fun, so they joined us, along with all members of the visiting vampire covens, Rose, and Alice.

As we ran to the location, I was thinking of the various ways we could compete against one another in a fair game.

"Yo, Jazz!" I called to Jasper who was ahead of me and already stationed on the other side of the field.

"Yeah?" he yelled back.

"Any idea what we can do?"

Jasper looked around at our 'competition' to see what would suit us best

"There's so many of us, I reckon a tournament."

_Oooo, nice, _I said to myself.

"Sounds sweet. What kind? Fighting or speed?"

"Whichever," he called back.

_Alright, let's get this started, _I growled to myself, rubbing my hands together.

I clapped my hands loudly, which sounded like two stones being thrown against one another, to get everyone's attention.  
>"Thanks for coming everyone! Welcome to our family's 'sports field' if you will," I announced, gesturing towards the large telegraph lights we had set up around the field when we first moved to Forks. "My brother and I were thinking that we could have a competition or two happening. After all, how many times do we have so many wolves and vampires in the same area? So I'll leave it up to you guys, do you want to race or fight? Or we can do both if people don't really mind?"<p>

At first, everyone began talking amongst each other- I couldn't pick out any of their ideas or opinions.

"Hey guys, speak up, I can't hear you!"

Eleazer put up his hand, and then walked forward to indicate that he wished to speak to the group as a whole.

"I have a couple of thoughts if you would like to hear them?" he offered.

"Sure," I allowed.

"Given the evolution of both the wolves and the vampires, I think, with the exception of Edward, we are reasonably evenly matched in terms of speed. So I would think a fighting tournament would be most interesting- we all have different styles, and while some of us are more experienced than others," Eleazer admitted, nodding briefly at Jasper. "I would be interested to test out the fighting capabilities of the wolves, and my fellow race."

"Okay, sounds good- does anyone disagree with Eleazer?"

Kate raised her hand as she began to talk.

"Only problem is that some of the vampires have gifts that could give them an advantage," she smirked.

"Well we wouldn't want anyone to be disadvantaged right from the beginning would we?" I asked Kate, a hint of playful sarcasm in my voice. "So obviously there needs to be some rules put into place because we want this tournament to be as fair as we can make it," I announced to the group as a whole. "So here's how it's going to be. Vampires with gifts, you can't use them!" I asserted, a huge smile on my face, knowing some of them would not be pleased with that. "So Kate, you can't shock someone and then say you beat them while they're writhing on the floor," I teased her.

"Hey! I'm not going to cheat, Emmett!"

"Yeah, sure," I grinned at her playfully; I knew she wouldn't really cheat. "So Alice, sorry girly, but you can only compete against the wolves or anyone who is okay with you being able to see the outcome!" Alice poked her tongue out at me.

"And finally, and most importantly, we are not trying to hurt each other, alright?"

There were some groans coming from the wolves and vampires alike. I gave them a grim smile.

"I hope you guys are joking," I said, eyeing them all carefully.

"They are!" Jasper answered on their behalf, and I guess he would know if there was any genuine desire to hurt one another.

"So to clarify, vampires are not allowed to break bones. I think bruises and cracked bones may be inevitable though. Wolves are free to do whatever they want to us vampires as long as they don't pull a limb off our bodies. If your opponent surrenders, you are to stop fighting _immediately_," I emphasised, not wanting this to get out of control. "When you pair up, it doesn't matter who you pair with, but try to get to know members of the other race or other covens," I encouraged them, knowing that most would probably try to stick with their own species.

_Man this is going to be epic, _I said to myself, anticipating my first fight, and watching the wolves and vampires going head to head.

"And finally, when one member in a pair surrenders, the other person is considered the winner, and they will move on to compete against another winner. Just talk amongst each other to work out who your potential opponents are. Eventually, it will come down to the final fight."

"Does the winner get anything?" someone I couldn't quite see asked. They were standing beneath one of the trees. I squinted my eyes and saw it was one of Sam's pack members.

"Who asked that?" I queried, hoping someone, if not the speaker himself, would answer me.

"Jared!" the guy called back.

I searched through my mind trying to recall which one was Jared. Ah, right: Sam's Beta.

"Hmm, I suppose the title of being the best fighter is not enough?" I grinned stupidly knowing that it wouldn't be.

My audience laughed.

"Anybody have any suggestions then?"

"Given the resources available to us, I am sure the winner, whoever they may be, can choose what they would like- we can negotiate," Jasper suggested.

"Are you okay with that?" I asked Jared.

"Sure," he said, and then walked forward to join his brothers in the field.

"Alright, so we're ready to start- anyone who isn't competing, please do us a favour and watch those who are to make sure they don't break the rules," I requested.

I saw a couple of people nod in agreement- that would have to be enough for now. Hopefully if Edward, Bella, and the others joined us later, they could provide more supervision.

"Let's go!" I shouted, then immediately grabbed Eleazer and suggested we fight.

He accepted my challenge, so we found a spot away from the others so we could have a wide area to be able to move around in.

Rosalie stood aside to watch us battle, as she usually did; she only ever entered such competitions against our immediate family.

Eleazer and I faced each other and crouched down low. I could hear the others pairing up with one another, the Quileutes briefly disappearing into the forest to phase. But I wasn't paying much attention to them; I only had eyes for my opponent.

"On three," Rosalie adjudicated us. "One, two, three!" she shouted.

The wind flew past my ears as I pelted towards Eleazer, determined to defeat him. Ten minutes and nine seconds later, I had Eleazer under me; my knees were sitting on the joints that connect his arms to his shoulders. He tried to flip himself up using his legs, but I dug my weight into the ground as much as possible. After a couple more attempts to fling me off him, he groaned:

"I surrender, Emmett."

I immediately got up, held out my hand, and pulled him to his feet. There, he rolled his shoulders and I heard a couple of pops as his joints fell back into place.

"You alright, man?"

"Yeah, I forgot how strong you are. You definitely know how to use it to your advantage," Eleazer complimented me, clapping me on the shoulder.

"Ha, thanks. You can't really get away with being Jasper's brother without picking up some useful tips."

"You'll have to teach me one day," Eleazer insisted eagerly, and I could tell that he really wanted to improve his style; he wasn't just being polite.

_One thing he could definitely beat me at was being a gracious loser; I could never hope to be that composed after losing. _I had to respect him for that.

"For sure. You're staying for a couple of days right?"

"Yep."

"Well after this tournament, I'm sure Jazz and I will be free to teach you."

"Great!" Eleazer said. He then shook my hand, and then ran over to where Carmen was battling against Seth.

Now that I think on it, I haven't fought Seth for about six years. Could it really be that long? I think it has been- I would have to go against him at some stage; if not today, then another.

"Well done, Babe!" Rose congratulated me, giving me a kiss on the lips.

"Thanks Rose," I said. "Can you see anyone else who is looking for a partner?"

The two of us looked around, but we couldn't see anyone who was obviously searching for an opponent. Deciding that it would be fastest to yell out, I advertised myself.

"Any winners looking for a partner?"

No one looked over at me or volunteered themselves.

"Hmm weird," I muttered to Rosalie.

"Maybe they're just too afraid to go against you, Babe?" Rose joked, a musical laugh escaping her lips.

I laughed with her. "Nah I think these wolves are pretty fearless, and the vampires would have no reason to avoid me," I pointed out to her, though I still appreciated her compliment.

I surveyed my fellow fighters again, and then began walking around, watching other matches whilst searching for my own potential partner. I then saw someone walking past the entry to our enclosed area. I ran closer, so I could see more clearly who it was. Rose was right on my heels.

"Hey, Paul!" I called out to the guy, hoping it _was_ Paul because then I would have found myself a partner.

Paul looked my way, but didn't say anything as he kept walking.

"He doesn't want to, Em," Rose said quickly, knowing what I would be thinking.

"He doesn't even know what we're going, Rose. I might as well try," I told her and then sprinted over to him.

Paul stopped walking when he saw me quickly approaching. My sudden appearance seemed to agitate him a little, and I became concerned when I saw him shaking slightly.

"Hey, woah man!" I said quickly, holding up my hands in surrender; I didn't want to cause any problems. "Calm down," I suggested seriously so he knew I wasn't making fun of him.

"What do you want?" he demanded, his fists clenched by his side.

With my hands still up, I answered him. "In the grove behind me, there's a few of us, vampires and wolves who are having a fighting competition. Do you want to join?" I invited him, hoping he would say yes, because he seemed like a formidable opponent, someone who fought more on instinct rather than strategy.

"No thanks," he answered curtly, then continued walking.

"Aww, come on man. The winner gets to choose any prize that is available to them, within reason of course," I added, wondering what Carlisle would say if someone wanted twenty grand.

"No," Paul said more firmly. I wanted to ask him what was bothering him, but I wasn't game; I could tell he was a little angry about something.

"But Jared is in on it. It'll be cool to have the opportunity to fight some wolves with rules in place, rather than simply trying to kill each other. The rules are: we're not allowed to break your bones, wolves cannot tear us apart, and if someone surrenders, the other must give in straight away. Winners fight the winners, and the losers can fight other losers if they wish. Eventually we'll get down to a final battle, and you wouldn't want to miss that," I told him playfully. "Come on, I'm looking for someone to go up against."

Paul studied me for a moment as he stared into my eyes. He was taking deep breaths but I could tell he was considering my offer. I wasn't sure whether it was because Jared was a part of our tournament, or my subtly challenging him that made Paul eventually concede.

"Fine," he replied shortly.

I cheered. "Yeah! Awesome! Come on then," I encouraged him, leading the way back to the clearing. I noticed that Rose paused for a moment before following me, and I knew she was staring at Paul to make sure he didn't have bad intentions. But I understood the guy; Edward had told me to keep an eye out on him because he doesn't support the Black and Cullen families coming together. So the only way, I reckon, Paul would have voluntarily been in our company was if he was fighting us, for real or for sport.

"Be back in a moment," Paul told me as he ran into the shelter of the trees to phase.

"Are you sure about this, Em?" Rose asked me, watching Paul's retreating back with caution.

"Yeah Rose, and besides you'll be there to protect me if anything happens," I reminded her and then quickly pecked her on the cheek, just as Paul was returning.

Then I realised how complicated it would be to work out if he wanted to surrender or not. I never thought of that. I briefly looked around to see if anyone else was having that issue. It didn't seem like it.

"I just realised that I won't know if you'll want to surrender. So if you do, not saying you will, but _if_ you do… Umm, I suppose I'll be able to tell. But if not then make eye contact with Rose over here," I said gesturing towards my wife. Paul nodded his understanding.

"Alright, so remember no dismembering," I reminded him cheekily.

He gave me a toothy grin in return. It looked rather menacing, but I had the feeling he would be honourable and keep to the rules.

"Your turn, Babe," I said looking over my shoulder at Rose. She slowly walked between us and started to count down.

"On three. One, two, three!" She then immediately got out of our way.

Paul and I crouched low, staring each other down. No doubt he was just biding his time waiting for the perfect moment to attack, while I was thinking of various strategies I could use against him. I have fought Seth, Quil, and Embry on occasion, though not for a few years, so Jacob has really been my only consistent wolf opponent, but even then, he spent most of his time with Ness nowadays. So fighting against Paul, who is older and more experienced than the others would, I hope, provide me with some new challenges.

A snarl escaped through Paul's teeth, and the next second, he raced towards me. I jumped out of his way at the last minute so he would think he stood a chance of getting me, and then turned around to face him again. If I wanted, I could have latched onto him as he ran by, but decided to observe him a little instead to try and work out what he was doing. If this was going to be his strategy, it wasn't going to work; I was too quick for him and his actions were too predictable. Despite all this, the guy kept running at me, twisting his large head around as he leapt towards my body, no doubt hoping to latch onto some part of my body, but he never did. Deciding I better do something otherwise we'd get no where, when Paul next ran at me, I moved aside only slightly, and then jumped onto his back when he was still in mid-air. Then together we came crashing down to the ground. I had expected Paul to land comfortably on his front legs, but suddenly, his body lurched underneath me.

At first I thought this was one of his strategies to get me off him, and it almost would have worked because I was not expecting him to react so immediately. But then I realised that my extra weight (which he must have underestimated) resulted in him losing his footing. The sudden roll of his torso was because he twisted his left forepaw. But I still held on to him, my arms around his neck. I could feel him limping, but he was determined to continue fighting.

Beneath my arms I felt Paul's neck twist around. For a moment I saw one of his brown eyes, and I thought he was going to attempt to bite my arm which was still wrapped around him. But instead, he flipped around and then collapsed to the ground, his entire weight ploughing into my chest as I was sandwiched between the right side of his body and the ground. My left arm was still wrapped securely around his neck which is probably what he was trying to loosen so he could be free of me. So I took no time in using my position to my advantage. Still caught under Paul's weight, I used my hand as a distraction for Paul while I tried to get my left leg free; I had a plan. Faster than anyone could see (even Paul), I removed my arm from around his neck, then clenched my hand into a fist. Seeing this out of the corner of his eye, believing I was about to punch him in the face, he rolled slightly away from me which gave my leg the freedom I was after. Paul's intention was to get up, now that his neck was free of me, but he wasn't fast enough, and I managed to kick him in his lower back.

Paul howled in pain, his back arching as the force of my kick (which was only at half the strength I was capable of) which forced his legs to splay for a moment. But he soon righted himself, and it didn't seem like I had caused him any serious injury. Although still limping on his left forepaw, Paul quickly turned around to face me looking livid. His eyes looked wild and his breaths were quick and audible above the barks, howls, and various sounds of stone on stone from our competition.

He was mad.

He was definitely mad.

The gap between us was only four meters. Paul never took his eyes off me as he took two steps towards me. Only a three meter gap separated us now. He was still limping, but he hardly seemed to notice it, and when someone is able to ignore their injury, you know they are focused; the adrenaline rush had kicked in.

A growl rippled between his teeth, and I knew that if I didn't stay focused I could be in trouble. Nevertheless, I growled back at my opponent as I was thinking about how to exploit his injury.

After twenty seconds, I formed a decent strategy that would hopefully result in Paul's demise. I was about to feint to my right to force Paul to put pressure on his left ankle, when I saw a figure move out of the corner of my eye. It was only small because they were standing towards the entrance to the field, but it caught my attention.

"Paul!" the woman shrieked. I was wondering what she was screaming about; we weren't doing much more than growling, until I felt a powerful, sharp grip clamp down on my left shoulder. Paul had latched on to me during that moment of distraction. Well if that's the way he was going to play…

I used my right arm to force his jaws off of me. This didn't work however, so I ended up kicking him in the gut, sending him flying. With a howl, Paul released me as he sprawled on the ground some five meters away.

"Oh my God, Paul stop!" I heard the same woman yell as she was running towards us. I quickly turned to my right to see Jake's sister, Rachel looking beyond panicked as she stared at her husband on the ground. I knew I had to turn around to face Paul before the guy could use my distraction to his advantage again.

Although my attention was back on my opponent, I heard Rosalie intervene before Rachel could take another step towards us.

"Wait, stop!" Rose yelled urgently, and I had no doubt Rosalie had reached out and grabbed Rachel's wrist to prevent her from coming any closer to us lest she get injured.

"What is he doing? I told him not to-" I could hear her struggling against Rose's grip, and I imagined my wife having to hold her in a hug from behind to restrain her given that she would bruise Rachel's wrist if she continued to hold on to it.

"It's fine- they're fine," Rosalie reassured her quickly. "My husband invited yours to enter a fighting tournament; they are competing."

"He looks hurt!" she protested, clearly upset. I was surprised Paul wasn't reacting to his wife's distress, but perhaps due to the myriad of noises around us, he couldn't hear what was happening as well as I could.

"Emmett won't seriously injure him," Rose tried to console her, and that was the last I heard from either of them.

I turned my fullest attention back to Paul who hadn't done much in the interim; no doubt he was recovering from being kicked in the stomach, and I wasn't about to continue our battle when he was down; it wouldn't be fair. But now, we were back to staring at each other again. As Paul was putting most of his weight on his right foreleg, I planned to exploit his injury again. I did so, but he was quick to change his direction, and I found myself unpleasantly surprised by his swiftness. It was almost as if he knew I would try to increase the seriousness of his injury by feinting. When I went to my right, he went to his, knowing I would be turning that way shortly after, and the moment I did, he ploughed his full weight against me. We were now shoulder to shoulder, his left against my body. That's when I realised he had exaggerated the seriousness of his injury, purely to trick me into thinking I could gain the upper hand by forcing him to walk on his left forepaw. Wow, I really should not have underestimated him; this guy knew how to use strategy.

I furiously pressed against Paul; trying to work out the most effective way of rendering him incapacitated so I could win our match- I was certain we had been battling for at least 20 minutes. I was about to release the force I was exerting on him, so inertia would force him to fall forward which would give me the opportunity to grab him in a head-lock, when Paul's neck lurched forward as he went to bite my face. I ducked slightly out of reflex which forced me to stop pushing against him. As I flinched I saw two huge paws in front of me, and the next thing I knew I was being forced to the ground by those paws. I tried to get up, but the moment my back reached the grass beneath me, I found three hundred kilos worth of wolf standing on top of me. His paws were on my corresponding shoulders right where my arms were connected to my torso. Paul's hind paws were on my ankles. I moved my legs from under him in the hope he would slip up and lose his grip on me. But it didn't seem to bother him that his hind legs hit the ground some fifteen centimetres below him; the pressure on my shoulders stayed as strong as ever.

Instead, he moved his position slightly so his hind paws were on my legs again, right on my kneecaps. I tried to heave my body up, and I began to twist it quickly, but he was putting so much pressure on me, I could barely move. Paul's hot breath was blowing into my face, his eyes glaring into mine. He was breathing heavily and I could see he was determined to beat me. Each failed attempt I made to escape him seemed to fuel his determination, and increased the pressure he was placing on my shoulders. It was highly uncomfortable. The position I was in reminded me of the one I had Eleazer in not long ago. Now I understood how strange it felt, though at least I wasn't standing on Eleazer's kneecaps!

I stared at Paul for a while, hoping to distract him long enough that a sudden lurch or movement would be unexpected. But no matter what I tried, the wolf did not get off me. I knew there was no point in continuing our battle, especially given that there were plenty of others to compete with and already we had spent half an hour just with each other. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to say the words: 'I surrender' or 'You win'. I had only ever lost a fight to my brothers and sisters, and even then they were hard losses to take. Any wolf I have fought with, in fun, lost against me (except Jacob on a couple of occasions). Yet I had to admit that Paul had done well, despite being a hot-head, he knew how to devise effective strategies, and it wouldn't surprise me if he was competing against his own brothers when he devised them to begin with.

After one final lurch to the side, Paul's wild eyes still bearing down on me, I finally uttered.

"You win."

At this, Paul immediately got off me, though he was still breathing heavily. I think he was wondering how I would react to being beaten.

After moving my shoulders to make sure they hadn't popped out of their sockets, I carefully stood up in case my knees gave way for whatever reason. When I was certain I was okay, I took two long strides towards Paul, whose eyes widened when he saw my quick approach.

I held out my hand to show that all I wanted to do was clap him on the shoulder.

"Good battle, Man," I said to him, forcing myself to smile even though I was cringing at my defeat.

Paul barked in reply. I wasn't sure what, if anything, he was trying to say, but I had a feeling he was returning the compliment back to me.

"See, it wasn't so bad; you beat me!" I laughed trying to make light of the situation, hoping that perhaps our little competition had brightened his day a bit. I was dying to say: 'See? It's not so bad that we're family', but decided not to push him that far just yet.

"Though I think your wife may have been a bit worried about you," I laughed again, remembering the look on Rachel's face when she saw what we were doing. I laughed harder when I saw Paul's shock; I was right in thinking that Paul had no idea Rachel was watching us- the guy was really into the fight.

I then watched as Paul's demeanour immediately changed from the formidable fighter he just was, to the loving wolf of his imprint. He immediately turned to his left and ran up to Rachel, clearly eager to reassure her that he was okay. I was happy to see that the girl had calmed down a little, though she was still staring at us wide-eyed as if wondering whether our fight was really over.

I followed after Paul to be with my wife and see what she would say about my loss. I knew she'd be supportive as always, but hopefully it was clear I did my best, and had to give up.

"Aww, Babe," Rose said sympathetically, though the subtle scowl on her face showed me that she was disappointed I had lost to a wolf.

"Yeah, but he was a formidable opponent," I praised Paul loudly enough so he could hear. I might as well butter him up for Rachel, Jake and Ness' sake- at least one good thing could come out of my defeat.

Paul and Rachel both turned to look at me; Rach smiled appreciatively and Paul gave another bark.

"Anyway, I guess I better get going, there's still heaps more people I need to compete with," I informed Rose, rubbing my hands together and examining my competition. I was a little heart broken that I needed to find other 'losers' now, but I suppose it didn't matter; all I really wanted was to have a few fights.

"It's good of you to be able to continue going, Babe. I love that you never give up," Rose praised me, then gave me a quick peck on my lips.

"Aww, thanks Rose," I said back, returning her kiss. "Alright, here I go," I announced to no one in particular.

I was about to start my search when Paul stood in my path, Rachel right beside him.

"Hey Man, what's up?" I asked the wolf.

He tilted his head towards his imprint and then titled his head behind him towards the various fights that were still occurring.

I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but decided that if I had a guess he'd be able to nod or shake his head until I worked out what he wanted to say.

"Rachel can't come any closer, it's a bit dangerous," I informed him, looking sympathetically at Rachel.

But Paul was shaking his head.

"Um, well she can stay here with Rose while you battle your next opponent-"

"So he's not finished?" Rachel asked me, slightly crestfallen. And now I could see what Paul wanted me to explain given that he couldn't.

"Ah, well no. I mean, we can't force him to continue, but he beat me, so he goes into the next round," I explained, feeling conflicted because I could see Rachel didn't want Paul to continue competing. "If he is the winner, he'll get a prize, but he needs to compete against other people who have won until there's just two people left. We're not allowed to break bones, so any damage that may be done to him will heal quickly," I explained optimistically.  
>Rachel looked between me and Paul, her face uncertain, and a frown on her lips.<p>

Eventually she replied. "Okay, but stay safe Paul," she insisted with a sigh, and I could tell she was worried that Paul's temper may get the better of him if things didn't go well against another vampire. "I don't want you to get hurt too badly."

Paul moved closer to Rachel so she could hug him. I heard him release a hum that seemed to come from deep in his chest. This seemed to relax his imprint. I could see that he didn't like worrying her, but I knew him and I knew he would like to win if he could, especially against vampires.

"Don't take too long, good luck, and stay safe!" Rach insisted, reminding him again of safety. I was sure no one would dream of doing any permanent damage to Paul, or any of the wolves due to the intense pain it would cause Jasper and Edward, not the mention the rest of the pack, and Jacob's family.

"Okay, well good luck, Man," I said to Paul. The wolf then left his imprint and nudged his head against my shoulder. I felt he was trying to say thanks, so I replied:

"You're welcome. I'll see you around," I returned, as I gave him a wave goodbye.

Paul then walked off in search of his next opponent, which I had no idea how he was going to do, given he couldn't talk. He may be able to consult with his brothers inside his head to gather which of the vampires had won or lost. It wouldn't surprise me if he was bragging to those who were listening about his win over me. But I pushed it aside; I had heaps more battles to win.

Rose stayed with Rachel to keep her company. I hadn't seen the two of them talk much in the past, if at all, probably because they never had the opportunity to discuss anything before Rachel would leave us to placate Paul's anxiety about her being around my family.

Although I was looking for a new partner, I couldn't help eavesdropping on the conversation my wife was having with Paul's. Despite her sometimes cold exterior (no pun intended), I knew that Rose liked sharing her knowledge with others, and being looked up to by said others. She explained the rules of our competition to Rachel, being careful to emphasise that permanent injury would not occur. Knowing what it means to have an imprint, having seen Jacob and Renesmee's relationship develop over the years, as well as seeing various interactions between Sam and Emily, my wife knew how important it was for Rachel, as it would be for her, to know her partner is safe. So once Paul began his next fight, Rosalie used her heightened senses to keep Rachel up to date with what Paul was doing, all the while reassuring her that no one would hurt him, and that he was safe. If Rachel heard Paul yelp in pain or howl in agony, she immediately turned to Rosalie to seek the reassurance she needed, and Rose willingly gave it; she enjoyed being needed by someone outside of her immediate family. Rachel seemed to appreciate Rose's comfort, and seemed quite comfortable standing next to Rose while she waited for her husband to return. As long as she had someone to reassure her of her Paul's safety, I knew Rach would be fine, and Rose was the perfect choice for the job.

At the same time, I was also watching Paul as he walked the circumference of the field looking for his next opponent. After five minutes, he found Zafrina who had just won against Maggie from the Irish coven. I saw Zafrina look Paul up and down as if sizing him up, and I could tell Paul was doing the same. But he seemed determined, probably because he wanted to challenge himself; Zafrina looked more intimidating than the average female vampire in my opinion. After somehow communicating with one another, given that Paul could only use body language to do so, I saw the two of them walk into a space of their own. I was tempted to watch their fight, but I needed to focus on finding my own partner. All I could hope was that Zafrina didn't use her gift against Paul, though if she was clever about it, she could probably get away with it as Paul was not aware of her talent. But I trusted Zafrina and I was sure she wouldn't cheat; she wasn't the type.

I was surprised that Paul had approached Zafrina at all, given they've never met before. It gave me hope that we were starting to grow on him, but perhaps he was just _really _into competing? Whatever the reason, I hoped that maybe Paul didn't think vampires were too bad. Although I by no means purposefully lost against him, in a way I think it was a good thing. I was quite proud of myself (I know my family would have been) that I was able to be a gracious loser for a change. I guess that's what happens when you're trying to get someone to like you! I would have to fight Paul another time to get better- I could learn a couple of things from him. But in the mean time, I hoped our little tournament would improve his opinion of us, because I quite liked him- he may have an edgy personality, but he seemed like a decent guy most of the time.

I still hadn't found a partner when Ness and Jake found us. I saw them talking to Rachel and Rosalie, so I ran over to them with an update on what we were doing.

"Hi Uncle Emmett, I was just telling Rach and Aunt Rose that we've been looking for you. It was quite a mystery; one moment you were all around, and then the next you had disappeared with some of the pack. Daddy eventually told us where you were otherwise we'd still be looking for you all!"

I laughed. "Yeah, we were pretty keen to get a tournament started. It's going pretty well I think," I informed her excitedly as I looked around me to make sure things _were _going smoothly.

"Rosalie told us the rules," Jacob informed me hesitantly, still scanning the fights that were taking place. "Have things been okay?" he asked me, his eyes still staring out across the field.

I wondered whether he was thinking more specifically of Paul, who I was certain he knew was competing given that Rachel was around, so I informed him of his and my battle together, and… his victory over me.

Jacob turned to look at me, his eyebrows raised; I could tell he was impressed with his brother's skill for Jacob frequently lost against me back in the day.

"Really?"

"Really," I reinforced. "And he was great. He even approached Zafrina on his own, and I don't think there's been any problems," I told him, looking towards Rosalie in case there _had _been, but she shook her head.

"He's been fine, Jacob," Rose confirmed my statement.

Jacob nodded his head slowly.

"That's good," but I could tell he was worried about his brother, having witnessed his volatile nature. I rested my hand on the guy's shoulder.

"He'll be fine," I reassured him. Jake nodded, but I could tell that his attention continued to waver between our conversation, and Paul's fight.

Once Ness was reassured that Rachel was okay staying with Rosalie and watching her husband fight from afar, she and Jake walked around the field talking to the guests who weren't fighting, thanking them all for coming, finding out if they were enjoying themselves, and making sure that the rules of the tournament were being kept to, which I really appreciated.

When Paul had eventually claimed his victory over Zafrina, which was a pretty intense battle according to Rosalie as neither of them were used to the other's styles having being raised in two completely different cultures, Jake made his way over to Paul to see how he was going.

Interested to hear what Jake would say to him and what Paul would admit to, I subtly inched my way over to them so they were within my hearing range.

"How's it going Paul?" Jake asked his brother, who was still in his wolf-form, and panting slightly due to exertion. "You did really well just then. Congratulations on winning," Jake continued, clapping his brother on the back.

Paul gave Jacob a toothy grin, and then nudged Jake's shoulder with his head.

"You having fun?" Jake asked.

Paul nodded his head readily, and Jacob chuckled.

"It's kinda cool having a few mock fights, right?" Jake muttered under his breath, but he was smiling and I knew that he knew Paul's character just like I did.

Paul snorted in agreement.

"Well I'll keep making the rounds, but thought I'd just make sure things were going okay," Jake continued, though lowered his voice towards the end so others may be less likely to hear him, "and also Rach just wanted me to remind you to be careful- Rosalie is watching you for her so she's not so nervous about it."

Paul nodded his head, and I could tell he was grateful that someone was able to keep his wife company, and reassured of his safety, while he was fighting.

"I'll tell her you said 'hi' and that you're doing great, okay?" Jacob offered, to which Paul gave a bark of thanks, and then looked past Jake's shoulder to see Rachel watching them both. Paul smiled again, and then gave a loud bark in greeting. Rachel waved back at him.

"Well good luck with the rest of your fights, Paul. I'll see you later," Jacob said, raising his arm in farewell before running back towards Ness so they could continue circling the field together.

Believe it or not, after defeating Zafrina, Paul also fought and defeated Jared and Kate (who didn't use her gift), which landed him in the semi-finals as the only wolf still standing. I watched him sometimes instead of fighting myself, just to get some tips. I might as well, right? And he was good; there was no question about it.

When the semi-finals were just about to begin, Paul against Liam, and Jasper against Garrett, Edward arrived with Ness, Jake, and Bella. I could tell by Edward's stride that he was on a mission. They came at a perfect time, no doubt by Edward's design, as no one was engaged in battle. Edward called for everyone's attention. He informed us that the humans had gone home with the pack that weren't with us, so it was just us remaining. But due to the time, Jake and Ness needed to start saying goodbye; otherwise they would miss their flight. Although you would think two hours would be enough time for the newlyweds to say 'bye', Edward, like me knew it would not be nearly enough. So we reluctantly ended the tournament, and given our promise of a prize, we allowed the remaining 4 competitors to choose what they'd like.

I didn't know that Paul was really into cars. When he heard that we had an entire garage filled with the cars we drive, naturally Paul was curious to see them. He phased back into his human form, eagerly grabbed Rachel's hand, and asked me to take him there. For a moment I was worried that he would want one of our _cars _as his prize; surely he couldn't be _that _unreasonable. I mean, being a semi-finalist in our tournament is a pretty good achievement, but it wasn't worthy of a car!

I think Rose was concerned about it too because she insisted on following me. When we opened the garage for Paul (some of the other pack members also came out of curiosity), his attention immediately went to my red Jeep Wrangler.

_Oh God, _I said to myself; if he even _suggested_ taking it Rose would probably lose her cool. Even though the Jeep was mine, she loved my car, and would not want to trust it to anyone who was not a vampire. I held my wife's hand as a precaution as Paul and his brothers looked admiringly at our cars.

We were at the garage for so long that members of the other covens joined us there, though they were not as interested in the cars as the wolves were for they had seen them already.

Eventually Paul asked:

"Who owns the red wrangler?"

"I do," I answered readily, thrilled that he liked my car so much- something we have in common.

Paul's eyebrows rose in shock perhaps thinking along the same lines as I was.

"It looks epic," he complimented me, no doubt admiring all the extras Rose added to it.

"Thanks, Man," I smiled at him, wondering what he wanted with it.

Eventually, it came out.

"Could my prize be to take it for a spin?" he asked hesitantly, and I reckon he was holding his breath as he waited for me to answer. I, of course, said 'yes', but my wife was ready to answer for me. I saw her mouth open immediately as if she was about to make some smart-arse comment, of which Rosalie always had plenty at her disposal, but instead she closed her mouth, stared intently at Paul, and said nothing.

Uncertain how to interpret Rose's behaviour, Paul eyed me, wondering whether my wife's obvious objection would alter my own views.

To answer his silent enquiry, I pulled my key out of my pocket and chucked it to Paul.

Paul was stunned for a moment, as he stared between me and Rose.

"Take it for a ride, but be quick!" I reminded him as only 105 minutes remained before Ness and Jake would need to leave.

"No problem!" Paul called back. "Aw man, this is so epic! Who wants a ride?" Paul announced, already helping Rachel into the wrangler as if she didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Rach, we are _so_ getting ourselves one of these," he was telling her as he ran around to the driver's side while she strapped herself in.

"I don't think we'll be able to afford it, Paul," she answered doubtfully.

"Then I'll work extra hard," Paul replied as if _not _getting a wrangler was out of the question.

Rach sighed at her husband just as Jared climbed into the back.

"Drive carefully!" Esme called out to Paul as he started the engine and began to cautiously but quickly drive out of our garage.

"I will!" Paul called back, and then whooped loudly as he drove towards our driveway. For everyone's sake, I really hoped he didn't take longer than ten minutes otherwise Ness and Jake would definitely be late for their plane.

Whilst Paul, Jared, and Rachel were gone, I saw Edward and Jasper enter the house. Thirty seconds later, they returned with one of the several models that sit on our shelves near the staircase. When I saw what they had, I tapped Rose on the shoulder. She turned around, saw them, and immediately ran over to them.

"Are you crazy?" she demanded. "He's already driving it!"

"Don't make a scene please, Rosalie," Edward said calmly, not wanting the other wolves to hear how angry Rose was about the extra prize Jasper and Edward thought of giving Paul.

"You think this is making a scene?" Rose hissed. "I could make a scene."

"Rosalie, calm down," Jasper said sternly. "Edward heard in Paul's mind that he really wants a black wrangler. Given that Emmett's is _red, _and the model of his car is in your bedroom, whereas this one is sitting up on a shelf, we thought you wouldn't mind giving this to him until he gets his own," Jazz explained gently.

Rose's lips tightened, and I knew she desperately wanted to be selfish, and say 'no' anyway. But Jasper was right; Rose had neglected it when we found a red one, which she loves- she wouldn't miss the black one.

I began walking up to Rose, with the intention of trying to help Edward and Jasper out before Paul returned, when I saw Jacob approach them from a few meters away; he must've heard what was happening.

"It would mean a lot to him, Rosalie," Jake told my wife sincerely.

Rose stared at him for a moment, clearly surprised that Jake had intervened at all. Although Edward knew that Paul wanted a black wrangler, it was a whole other thing to hear that he would appreciate the model of one too.

Eventually, Rose sighed. "Fine, but if anything happens to it, someone is buying me a new one!" she said clearly, but quietly, so only her brothers and Jacob could hear.

"Sure thing," Jacob agreed readily. "Thanks Rosalie," Jake smiled at her, and then made his way back to Ness.

After exactly nine minutes, Paul returned with Rachel, Jared, and a very safe red wrangler. Although I could tell just by looking at it that it was spotless and nothing was scratched or damaged, Rose made an obvious inspection of the paint the moment Paul parked it back in the garage. She was thus occupied when Jasper presented Paul with the Black Jeep Wrangler model. I had a feeling Rose was purposefully hiding away from the moment, not wanting to be thanked for it whilst simultaneously hoping that she would be.

After been reassured multiple times that it was okay for him to have it until he bought his own, Paul was over the moon and said he knew exactly where he was going to place the model. It would be his constant motivation to buy the real thing one day. As he was the only wolf remaining in our competition, everyone, even the vampires made a pretty big deal about his prize, and Paul looked really proud of himself. I openly cheered for him as he proudly showed his brothers the model, surprised because having the chance to ride in one was all he was expecting. I could tell that Jasper and Edward were glad to have thought of providing him with something more tangible. The other three 'winners' (Jasper included) decided to wait until a later date to claim their prize. All of our visitors would be sticking around for a couple of days, so I think they wanted to wait until they found something they really wanted. But knowing them, I think they would be satisfied in knowing how well they went- prizes don't really mean much to those who live forever.

So by the time Paul had received his prize, it was very late, 11pm. Edward insisted authoritatively that everyone begin saying goodbye to his daughter and her husband. As Jake was admiring Paul's prize, he was one of the first to say goodbye to the newlyweds. Once he was done, I saw Paul look around him, and then move aside so others could reach the happy couple. He turned around to look at the garage, probably to admire the jeep again, and saw Rosalie watching him.

I watched them like a hawk, wondering what was going to happen. I inched my way subtly towards the garage so I could eavesdrop as Paul also made his way over. I saw Rose stiffen, and I knew she didn't particularly want to communicate with the guy who just 'won' a model that was rightfully hers, but my wife stood her ground, though gave Paul a cold look as he approached.

"Jake told me this is yours," Paul said cautiously, clearly uncertain how Rose would react to being spoken to.

Rosalie didn't trust herself to speak, so gave him a stiff nod.

"Well, thanks. Your husband has an awesome car; I've always wanted a wrangler since I was a kid. I promise to bring this back to you," Paul said, carefully holding the model out to her to indicate that he will always remember whose it is, and where it came from.

"You better," Rose muttered under her breath, but there was a smirk on her face.

Paul laughed, probably relieved that Rose wasn't about to cause a scene.

"I will. Thanks again!" Paul said excitedly and then ran back to the crowd.

Rose watched him go, and I had the distinct feeling she was impressed that he actually came over and thanked her. I was proud of Rose for letting Paul take it for a while; I knew she could be a little selfish with her belongings even though we could always buy another one given the money we have.

Realising that we were running out of time to say goodbye, I ran up to Rose.

"I'm proud of you," I whispered into her ear, wrapping my arms around her from behind. But Rose didn't move in response to me; she was watching the crowd in front of us saying goodbye to Ness and Jake.

"Come on," I encouraged her. "Let's go say bye to Jake and Ness; they'll have to leave soon." But I didn't try to pull her along; I was waiting for her to answer me.

Eventually she whispered.

"I'm going to miss them."

_Them? _I thought to myself, shocked. I wanted desperately to make a joke about the implications of what she just said, more particularly regarding her attachment to Jake, but decided that now was not the time.

"Me too," I replied, and then I slowly pulled Rose with me towards the crowd.

It was going to be hard to say goodbye to the newlyweds; I'd fallen in love with Ness like everyone else, and Jake was pretty awesome to hang around with. I couldn't wait until they came back from their honeymoon in a couple of weeks, because not only will I have missed them, but because they will get to see their house; they'll love it. And I wasn't kidding, the timber frame was supported with steel, and their bedroom is sound proof- trust me; I tested it.

Although Ness is only half-vampire, we privately (and we really did _try_ to keep the decision away from Edward) decided that they would need it. After all, vampires can have pretty passionate… Well- definitely long-lasting sex anyway, so we wouldn't want them keeping their neighbours up at night, would we? Even though their place was a good fifty meters from any civilisation, I was willing to bet Jacob could yell pretty loud.

It was with these thoughts that I gave Jacob a thump on the back and wished him a good time on their honeymoon. I winked at him mischievously, wishing I could tell him what was on my mind. Jacob raised his eyebrows at me and he said wryly:

"I'm not even going to ask what you're thinking."

I laughed.

"That's probably for the best." _God the kid knew me well._

Edward was there shaking his head at me.

_Sorry, Edward._

My brother just swiped his hand in my direction, and then probably tried to ignore my thoughts as best he could.

Jacob saw his father-in-law's reaction and turned away muttering: "Oh God," and I have no doubt he was blushing. I wanted to tell the guy he better get used to my jibes; he knew I gave them to Edward and Bella non-stop for years after they got married, but then I decided against it. I would wait until they actually _had_ sex before confronting Jake with that.

Edward's eyes flashed towards me.

_Sorry! Sorry! _I insisted, genuinely feeling apologetic even though I was trying to suppress a laugh. It was just so much fun teasing the guy that I couldn't stop, especially because Jacob took it so well.

But all jokes aside, I wished my niece and her husband the very best for their honeymoon, and their marriage together; they deserve it. It has been a unique experience to witness Ness and Jake's relationship develop over the years.

The next two weeks will be much less exciting without these two very awesome people around. They'll definitely be missed by all of us.

XXXXXXXXX

Author's note: So that's the end of Emmett's perspective! I hope you enjoyed it, and the little bit of fun amongst the wolves and vampires. Unfortunately I won't be writing about any of the other battles that took place, because I thought it would be good to focus on one properly. But there were heaps of them! I hope this chapter also redeems Paul just a little bit :) So what did you think of the chapter? Please review and share your thoughts with me!

I will post up the final part of the epilogue tomorrow!

Thanks so much for reading! You're all amazing!


	30. Epilogue Part III: Bye

Author's note: Thank you all so much for your amazing reviews (responses are below)! I am so glad I was able to surprise you with the light-heartedness of the previous chapter :) Gotta love Emmett!

So, this is the last chapter of 'Trust me'! I can't believe it's the end! It's sad but I'm looking forward to writing the outtakes I have planned! So I'm not letting my baby go yet :D

Be aware that there is a long author's note at the end of this chapter, but _please_ give it a read; it contains details of what's next (in terms of my writing) as well as a couple of recommendations for reading if you guys have the time! It would mean a lot to me if you read it :)

Another new POV is explored in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it. And I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the mushiness in this chapter as Ness and Jake say 'bye' to Bella and Edward. Happy reading!

Reply to reviews:

Eruhin: I'm glad that I was able to surprise you! I thought it seemed a little out of the blue, but I enjoyed writing something fun for a change :) And I so agree, their wedding is so much cooler than the average human one! I really wanted to show that through the epilogue. And you're exactly right- I really think the only way Paul would have been comfortable is through fights, competing, and cars :P And I'm glad you like Rose's assertion that she would miss them both, and you enjoyed Emmett's thoughts about the steel supported house and the sound-proof room! I had to add those in, it was just too tempting! I look forward to my last review from you in while :( I hope you enjoy this final chapter!

ZenNoMai: I seem to be surprising everyone with this out of the blue chapter, but I am glad you enjoyed it anyway! And I'm glad you were even able to spot those small moments with Rose and Jake, but I guess when you love them so much, they're easy to spot! I'm so glad you are looking forward to it! I can't wait to write it :) And here is the update. Soon enough do you think? ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter, I can't wait to read your review!

Yoda11: I love Emmett too, so I had to give him a chapter :) I'm glad you liked the interaction between Paul and Rachel too, it took me a while to work out how they would interact. I hope you enjoy this final chapter! I look forward to your review!

pudget12: I'm so glad you loved the chapter and it's lightheartedness- it's what I was aiming for because this was is pretty intense :) Thank you so much for all your comments! And yeah, I'm pretty sure no one would consider Rose to be a comfort in any situation (except Emmett) but I wanted to give her a little bit of… humanity lol. And yes, this is definitely the final chapter (aside from outtakes), so I hope you enjoy it! Thank you so much for reading!

'Trust me'

The Epilogue Part III: Bye

Jasper's POV

The farewells between my family and the leaving pair went smoothly, despite being highly emotional. As expected, there were many tears from Ness as she said goodbye to her aunts, uncles and grandparents; it would be the first time she would be away from us for more than a day since she was born. We were all going to miss her- she had definitely made a lasting impression on us.

We all knew that a fortnight would go by very quickly, but even so, it was strange to us that a Cullen was not going with her- to protect her as we have since her birth. But then we'd remind ourselves that Jacob would be with her, and just as able to look after her as we were. The connection they share is one I have only seen amongst his fellow brothers who have imprinted themselves. It is a unique bond, and whatever sorrow she may feel upon leaving us, I knew he will be the only remedy she will ever need for that loss.

Despite Rose's quiet sobs, Esme's crying, and Alice's despair, they were all happy for Renesmee too; to see her grow up so much and begin a new life independent of them-of all of us, was all we ever truly hoped for. As much as we all wanted it, Renesmee could not stay with us forever.

After saying goodbye to the newlyweds, my family went inside our house to give Edward, Bella, Renesmee, and Jacob some time and space to say what were bound to be highly emotional farewells to one another. I was given the post of 'look-out' whereby I was to call my family back outside when the bride and groom entered their car so we could wave them off. This position was quite obsolete because Edward could easily inform us when Renesmee and Jacob were ready to leave. But I think my family wanted to give me an excuse to escape their sorrow by placing me within the vicinity of what was bound to be far deeper, more painful emotions! The decision didn't make sense, but I chose not to point this out to them, and decided to take up the post anyway, because despite the intensity of pain I would experience, I was irrevocably curious to hear what Renesmee, Jacob, and the former's parents would say to one another in their final moments together.

Knowing the most difficult farewells were about to come, when already the feelings of the four in front of me were becoming difficult to handle, I tried to prepare myself for what I was about to feel.

As a precaution, I decided to keep my distance so I could escape the majority of their emotions whilst still being able to hear what was being said. Unfortunately, the majority of what was said was whispered or mumbled, so I was forced to lessen the distance between us so my eavesdropping could be more effective. Given my proximity to them, I knew Edward must have been able to hear my thoughts, but I found it unlikely that he could pay attention to my quiet, calm thoughts when those surrounding him were far more distraught.

Ness was crying on Edward's shoulder. Through her tears, I heard her tell her father over and over again how much she was going to miss him. Edward was trying to calm her as he stroked her hair, and hummed Renesmee's lullaby in his daughter's ear. I think she could just hear it above her sobs. I could feel how sad he was to say goodbye to her too, but he was being strong- for her.

After five minutes of consistent tears from Renesmee, her arms remaining tightly wound around Edward's torso, and a few quiet, reassuring murmurs from Edward, Renesmee pulled away from her father so she could see his face.

"This will be the first time I'll be away from you. Are you sure you'll be okay? I'm so sorry, Daddy," she said tearfully

"I promise I'll be just fine," Edward insisted gently, pulling his daughter back to his chest for another hug.

"But Daddy-" Renesmess insisted, pulling away from him.

"Darling, stop," Edward whispered gently, kissing the top of Renesmee's head. "This is your wedding day. You are about to begin your life with Jacob, so try not to start it worrying about me," he teased a little, a small smile on his face.

Renesmee tried to calm herself down, and I could feel her emotions alter slightly as she began to feel guilty. She turned around so she could see Jake who was at the time hugging Bella goodbye. Then turning back to Edward, she admitted:

"I feel terrible- I don't want to be miserable for him."

"You won't be; you know that if anyone can put a smile on your face, it's Jacob," Edward reassured her soothingly.

Renesmee sniffled. "True."

"So, I want you to have a wonderful honeymoon, have an amazing time, and I will see you when you get back," Edward said with finality, and then pulled his daughter to him for a final hug goodbye. But when Edward tried to pull away, he couldn't; Renesmee had resumed her tight hold around her father's waist.

"I'll call you every night," she whispered through her silent tears.

"You don't have to, Darling, only if you want to."

"I want to," Ness sobbed quietly; her emotions overwhelmed with sadness again.

"You may change your mind once you get to Isle Esme," Edward chuckled, clearly finding it hard to believe that his daughter would miss him when she and Jacob had an entire island to themselves.

"Maybe… but Daddy, promise me you won't miss me too much," she begged of Edward.

"I promise."

"And when I come back, can I stay with you for a couple of days?" Renesmee asked shyly, letting go of her father so she could use her eyes to plead with him.

"Why?" Edward asked her tenderly, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"I'll be living in a new house, and I'm not used to living without you and Momma."

Edward smiled at his daughter, no doubt amused by her hesitancy to be independent of him and Bella. Yet I was certain there was a part of him that loved the fact that his daughter wasn't quite ready to be free of him just yet; it gave him a little more time with her.

"You are afraid, and it's okay to be afraid," Edward whispered, bending down slightly to look into his daughter's eyes. "But once you have lived with Jacob for a couple of weeks, you will get used to life without your mother and me around. I promise that when you return from your honeymoon, you will be sorry to lose your privacy due to my gift and the tendency for your aunts and uncles to come over unexpectedly, so value the time alone while you still can," Edward laughed, and I knew he was thinking about Emmett and Alice in particular.

"I won't care," Renesmee insisted, her tearful eyes staring into Edward's as if forcing him to understand that she will always miss him, his gift, and the presence of her family.

Edward reached out and wiped a couple of tears from his daughter's cheeks.

"But you will, Darling, if only a little bit," Edward whispered. "But remember, you won't be far away from us when you return. Your mother and I will visit you everyday and so will your uncles and aunts."

"I know, but it's not the same."

"Well let's take things one step at a time. First, you need to go on your honeymoon. Enjoy yourself, have fun, and no more tears," Edward insisted lovingly, kissing his daughter on her cheek and giving her yet another hug goodbye.

"Okay Daddy," she sniffled, her face pressed into Edward's chest. "I'm going to miss you so much," Renesmee squeezed her father tightly back.

"I'll miss you too my beautiful girl," Edward murmured, and then kissed Ness on the top of her head, as he hummed his daughter's lullaby once again.

In the mean time, Jake and Bella were saying their goodbyes. I was trying to keep track of what they were saying as I switched my focus between the two pairs.

"Have a wonderful time, Jake. Isle Esme is amazing," Bella was telling him, reaching up to give him a hug goodbye.

"I am sure Carlisle would not have bought Esme anything less than amazing," Jacob joked.

"That's true," Bella smiled.

"And I'm sure we'll have a great time," Jacob said, not sounding so certain as he turned to look over his shoulder at Ness who was at that moment, crying on her father's shoulder.

"Jake," Bella murmured to get his attention.

Jacob turned around, looking a little crestfallen.

"She will be fine," Bella reassured her friend.

Jacob nodded. "I hope so. She loves you both so much- of course, I can't blame her, but still… I hate that she's so upset."

Bella rubbed Jacob's back in comfort.

"Once you are both off, she will think of the future, about the two weeks ahead of her, and the eternity she will get to spend with you. It won't take her long to completely forget about us," Bella said cheerfully.

Jacob shook his head and then leaned down to rest his chin on Bella's shoulder.

"She will never forget you guys."

"You know what I mean," Bella insisted playfully.

"And _you _know what I mean, Bells."

"She was made for you- a gift for you, Jake. The two of you are meant to be together. Edward and I are her parents, and we always will be. But you can give her so much more than we can."

Jacob nodded, a couple of tears sliding down his face.

"She loves you, Jake."

"I know," Jacob quickly reassured Bella. "I just hope she'll be happy without you guys."

"I promise she will; saying 'bye' is always the hardest part. But you're only going for two weeks. It isn't forever, but this," Bella said, indicating with her hand at the four of them, "is forever."

Jacob nodded as he pulled away from Bella and took a deep breath. "She'll be okay," Jacob consoled himself.

"Renesmee will be _more _than okay," Bella grinned comfortingly, then reached up and gave her son-in-law a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Bells."

"No problem, that's what mothers are for."

Jacob shuddered as he let out a burst of laughter. "I'm sorry, I'm never going to get used to that."  
>"Neither will I!" Bella clarified, and I knew she hated thinking of herself as Jake's 'mother-in-law', but she was happy to refer to herself as such for this one moment.<p>

"I just wanted to cheer you up a little."

"Well, thanks Bells; it means a lot," Jacob whispered into her ear, and together they stood for a while in each other's arms. During this time, I felt both of them calm down significantly, as if they had a soothing influence over one another.

After a few minutes, Jacob stood up straight and pulled away from Bella, wiping away his tears as he did so.

"Have fun, Jake, and be _happy_," Bella insisted playfully, as she let her best friend go.

Jacob sniffled, a broad smile on his face.

"We will," Jacob asserted more confidently this time, and then walked over towards Ness, just as she was letting go of Edward.

"You okay?" Jacob asked her, sympathetically, pulling his wife to him for a brief hug.

She nodded tearfully, as she briefly rested her head against Jacob's chest. She could tell that he was upset too.

"Are you?"

"Yeah, whoever thought we'd be crying so much on our wedding night?" he joked.

"It's not over yet," Ness said sadly. The two of them pulled apart, and then walked to the alternate parent they had yet to say goodbye to.

Within thirty seconds, my poor niece was sobbing on her mother's shoulder. I could hardly understand what she was saying to her mother; she was so choked up with feeling, I could barely make out her words. But it wasn't only sadness, but guilt that wracked her body and her mind. Growing up so fast was something Renesmee had always been aware of. She felt terrible when she realised how quickly she would be leaving her parents, knowing how happy they would be to look after her forever. Bella reassured her daughter that she and Edward will be perfectly fine, echoing Edward's own words, but I could tell Bella was hiding her own sorrow and loss, for her daughter's sake.

Renesmee's guilt was also directed towards Jacob; she did not want to be crying on her wedding night and did not want to be miserable during her honeymoon. Knowing their relationship, I felt certain they would have no problem cheering each other up, and in doing so, would perpetuate their own happiness. Although I could calm them myself, as tempting as it was, I knew they needed to experience their sadness without my interference. Their tearful goodbyes, their empathy for Bella and Edward, as well as the realisation of how much they will miss them, understandably distracted them from everything positive their futures will bring them. All Jacob and Renesmee needed was time away from us to lessen their guilt and their sadness, which would give them the opportunity to enjoy their honeymoon. It would be as if these goodbyes never happened; they would be back home before they knew it.

I then studied Jacob and Edward closely. Yes, they were both indeed upset, though I couldn't tell exactly why. Firstly, they were hugging each other, and I expected it to stop after a couple of seconds like with most men. But to my surprise, they continued embracing each other. I had the feeling the conversation was one sided, I don't think Jacob trusted himself to speak, so communicated with my brother via his thoughts. I saw Edward's mouth move slightly, but I couldn't tell what he was saying. I had the feeling it wasn't much though; they were reflecting on an issue beyond the immediate scene.

I definitely had the sense from Jacob that he would miss Edward, though gratitude rather than sadness was the primary emotion I could feel from him. The boy closed his eyes, and I felt his heart flutter a moment before his breathing hitched with suppressed sobs. I saw Edward rub the boy's back gently, whisper something into his ear, and then he too closed his eyes. Yes, Edward would miss him too. And I should clarify that this sense of loss extended beyond the duration of the honeymoon, but to when they returned; Jacob and Renesmee will no longer be on our property- to not be able to run 200 meters to visit them would be different, not inconvenient- just different. Some may question how Edward and Jacob could miss each other so, but for those who witnessed their interactions, and understood the nature of their emotions in the intricate way that I am able, it wasn't hard to predict this outcome. Right from the beginning, Edward and Jacob had to negotiate with regard to Renesmee, and respect one another's feelings, to the extent where now Jacob couldn't help but empathise with Edward that Renesmee would be taken away from him, and Edward had to let his daughter go knowing, from his own experience, that Jacob deserves her. In a way, their friendship made this moment that much harder for both of them.

After ten minutes of almost silent reflection, Edward and Jacob simultaneously pulled away from one another. The moment they made eye contact, Jacob turned away due to embarrassment; he was feeling highly emotional. On top of his gratitude was an underlying sadness and guilt that resembled Renesmee's, but his was particularly overwhelming to me, and I was struggling to work out why. I saw Edward crane his neck so he could see a portion of Jacob's face which was still turned away from him. I saw Edward's eyes narrow in sympathy, and the next moment, Edward had placed his hand behind Jacob's neck and was pulling him towards him again, as he too shared in whatever sorrow Jacob was experiencing. Jacob rested his head on Edward's shoulder, tears pouring silently down his face. It was clear to me that he was thinking of _something_, but as to what it was, I couldn't tell, though I had no doubt that Edward was fully aware and was trying to comfort him as best he could.

It wasn't long before I heard Edward speak, which would be the first of many responses he would make to Jacob, who kept his questions and feelings private so only he and Edward could hear them.

"You're welcome Jacob," he spoke gently to Jacob who was now audibly and physically sobbing. "Shhh," he soothed the boy.

Thankfully, Edward's attempt appeared to work, as I saw Jacob lift his arm to wipe away his tears, though he was still leaning on Edward. He sniffled, and then shook his head in confusion.

I saw Edward's eyes narrow and I could tell he was contemplating something- perhaps considering a question Jacob had for him.

"Perhaps you are tuning it to Renesmee's feelings?" my brother suggested.

_Hmm, this would explain why Jacob's emotions were more intense than I would have expected. _

But if this were true, I had no idea how Jacob was able to feel and empathise so _keenly _with his imprint.

I looked over at Renesmee and saw how upset she was- perhaps this is all Jacob needed to see to feel terrible- it was evident his imprint was in emotional pain.

"Saying goodbye is harder than actually leaving. Once you are on the road, she'll be fine. Renesmee won't miss us for long," Edward tried to comfort Jacob who still had tears pouring down his face.

I felt Jacob's hopes rise, and I knew he was using this opportunity with Edward to focus on enquiring after the true feelings of his imprint knowing that Edward would be able to provide him with valuable insight.

"Yes," Edward replied to his thought with certainty, "though as for the rest of my family…" he trailed off glancing over Jacob's shoulder towards our house, "they miss her already."

And of course, Edward was very right- no matter where I was in the last hour or two, I was bombarded with emptiness and a sense of loss. Alice was almost unbearable to be around at times, so in that way, I was glad to have the excuse to leave their company if only for a moment. Although I would miss Renesmee and Jacob too, I was not able to properly feel that loss when everyone else's was being forced upon me. I would probably need a moment tonight to be on my own just to escape from the rather solemn feelings I have had to endure these last two hours.

I wondered how Jacob would react to the knowledge that we, the Cullens, already miss Renesmee. Of course, I doubt Jacob would be surprised by this, but I felt this would only increase his feelings of guilt.

Sure enough, I saw Jacob's arms tightened around Edward.

But the response Edward gave to what Jacob was thinking was not what I was expecting; my assumption must have been wrong.

"The house isn't too far away. In fact, I doubt it will be far enough; you'll never be able to get rid of us."

I chuckled to myself. Jacob may not believe it now, but _that _was very true; I knew Alice already intended on visiting them everyday the moment they get back.

"True, but she will always be my little girl," Edward murmured, and although his words sounded reassured and comforting, I felt a sudden lurch in Edward's stomach which I associated with mourning. I waited, wondering whether I would feel anything further from my brother, who I knew would be struggling to keep composed when saying such things to Jacob. To my amazement, Edward kept himself together, though if he were human, I knew he would at least be shedding tears based on the intensity of his emotions.

Jacob nodded, making it clear that he agreed with Edward's statement, and of course, one would have to be a fool to suggest such a statement would not remain true until the end of time. Edward and Ness are _extremely _close, it is quite extraordinary, and makes their very emotional goodbye more than understandable.

Edward paused for a moment, listening to whatever statement or question Jacob had for him. It was a little frustrating not being able to hear what Jacob was saying, but at the same time, I enjoyed interpreting his emotions, and guessing what he _could_ be saying.

"She may for a while," Edward allowed, but as to what Renesmee may do, I had no idea. "But it won't take her long to get used to it just being the two of you," Edward reassured him.

I would have laughed hearing that Jacob was concerned Ness wouldn't like it just being the two of them, but having heard what Renesmee asked of her father minutes ago about living with him and Bella for a couple of days when they return, I wondered whether Jacob really _was_ able to pick up on Ness' emotions better than I ever could have supposed.

"She loves us, but she needs you."

_Well done, Edward, _I praised my brother in my mind; I could not have worded it better or more simply, and although Ness would probably say she needs Edward and Bella too, the 'need' was not quite the same- she _needed_ Jacob in a far different way to how someone needs their parents.

When I first learned of Jacob imprinting on Renesmee, I was seriously concerned that Edward would 'lose his cool' over it (no pun intended). Despite the friendship they had formed since Jacob was bitten by Victoria, I sensed how Edward felt towards Ness when he first heard her thoughts, and was certain he would not want to share her with someone outside of our family. But he has- Renesmee's feelings, Renesmee's happiness always came first, and indeed, she was the happiest child I have ever come across in all my years.

"I am not going to justify that with a response," Edward asserted quietly. "You know the answer."

Now _that _was frustrating! What had Jacob asked? Whatever it was, Jacob momentarily felt a bit lighter as he laughed, but then a second later, I felt him sink back into the constant gloom he'd been feeling since first embracing Edward at the start of their goodbye.

I waited tensely, interested for whatever I may hear that would explain what I had not been privy to.

Eventually, Edward sighed though he didn't seem frustrated with the boy, but sympathetic.

"You are not truly taking her from me, you know? In you, Renesmee has her other half. She wouldn't be complete without you. You know this, Jacob; you know it's more than enough, and always will be."

And suddenly, I was overcome with Jacob's feelings. He was _so _upset- _so _overcome with gratitude that I hoped desperately that Edward would be able to calm him down and fast. And then the next moment, his pain was replaced with a steady beating heart and a warmth in Jacob that I was not expecting.

I watched Jacob keenly, wondering what was happening in the boy's mind- he was sending me on a ride.

I saw Jacob's jaw tremble on Edward's shoulder; he was crying, though I had the feeling he was trying to suppress it, probably so Ness wouldn't notice. But he wasn't sad, and indeed, Edward hadn't said something upsetting. Rather, Jacob was happy- happy to be respected, and appreciative to hear Edward's words in such a moment _from _Edward.

For a split second I felt Edward freeze in shock, but it was only for a moment. Then the next, my brother was running his hands up and down Jacob's back. The boy was having difficulty suppressing his cries, and I watched as both of their bodies moved with Jacob's sobs.

"Love you too, Jacob," Edward whispered in the boy's ear. No wonder why he froze for a moment.

Love you _too_? Wow, I did not see that coming, but it would definitely explain Jacob's strange physiological state. _He _initiated such a sentiment? I could hardly believe it, yet I knew it must have been true.

Of course, love was something I knew Jacob felt for Edward- my gift allowed me to be privy to such feelings even if they are never stated. And likewise, I knew Edward felt similarly towards his now 'son-in-law'. But to hear Jacob vocalise his sentiments in such a moment- to spontaneously feel the need to say it after so many years, in thanks for Edward's heart-felt words, was a really touching moment for me to witness. I couldn't blame the boy for it of course, but it was a pleasant surprise all the same. And yet his statement, and Edward's reciprocation seemed to make the boy _more _emotional, and I could tell Edward was desperately and successfully, trying to calm him down.

After a couple of minutes, when Jacob was calmer, I heard Edward whisper somewhat authoritatively in his ear: "Now stop crying, and go enjoy your honeymoon." Despite the fact that I knew Edward was being serious, probably so he could escape Jacob's intense emotions, which I was also privy to, he had a smile on his face.

Jacob laughed and wiped his tears away, though he never moved away from Edward- the two of them were still hugging one another, apparently comfortable in their stance. Jacob was willing to heed Edward's advice; he had cried enough for one day.

And much to my relief, now that Jacob seemed to calm down he was willing to speak out loud.

"How are you coping so well with all this? You and Bella aren't even crying, don't think I can't tell!" Jacob observed, and he was right- they weren't crying and I also was amazed as to how they managed it.

"I will have my moment once you leave," Edward informed Jacob calmly, as he allowed himself to smile.

"Why not now?" Jacob asked, confused.  
>"Well given that the bride and groom are crying on their wedding day, someone needs to be happy for them!"<p>

Jacob laughed, but God it was true- I had never known of newlyweds to cry to so much on their wedding night, though knowing how they feel, it was not surprising to me.

"Well, don't be sad for too long, Edward," Jacob ordered my brother, and I wondered whether the boy wished to be around to pull Edward out of _his _misery.

"I won't be allowed to; Emmett will probably drag me outside to practice hunting instead of moping, so I can definitely beat you when you get back."

I laughed quietly; Edward was so right, because that is _exactly_ what Emmett would do. Fighting and training: it was the answer to every problem.

"Yes, when you get back. Saying 'bye' is hard, but it is not forever," Edward wisely informed Jacob, though I was confused by his statement; he must have been replying to a thought of Jacob's.

"My wife has never been so right," Edward asserted proudly, briefly glancing over at Bella, who was giving their daughter a final hug. Given Edward's statement, I assume he must have overheard what Bella said to Jacob moments ago.

"Thanks Edward."

"You're welcome, now go and have a wonderful time, because you'll have to put up with me for the rest of your life when you get back."

"I'm okay with that," Jacob insisted, and I knew, just as well as Edward did, that the boy wasn't lying. And I knew Edward would be fine with that too.

To my astonishment, they rarely let one another go throughout their entire conversation. But there was no awkwardness I could sense between them, and no desire from either to actually let go, except for practical purposes. They seemed calm somehow, and I had no part in it. It got to the stage where Bella and Ness, though still upset, had finished saying goodbye. Both of their eyes widened when they saw, not noticing prior, that their husbands were still hugging one another.

"Are you both okay?" Bella asked, her voice thick with emotion as she and her daughter approached them cautiously. Giving one another a final pat on the back, they separated, and Jacob quickly wiped his tears away with the back of his hand.

"We apologise, were you waiting long for us?" Edward asked, genuinely concerned that he had kept them waiting.

But both Bella and Renesmee remained speechless.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked thickly, a small smile on his face as he looked between his wife and mother-in-law.

"I think that would have to be the most awkward moment the two of you have ever had. I've never seen you hug for so long!" Bella exclaimed, and I could feel how shocked she was that, despite their friendship, they could comfortably hug one another for multiple minutes without being self-conscious.

Much to Bella and Renesmee's surprise, Jacob and Edward burst out laughing, and I knew precisely which moment they were thinking of, and I couldn't help but grin myself when I remembered how mild _this_ moment was compared to one that occurred roughly 11 years previously.

"What?" Renesmee asked, wondering what the joke was. Her mother was feeling similarly.

Through his tears of laughter, Jacob managed to say: "Oh man, I _wish_ I could say that was the most awkward I have ever felt!"

"Has there been an even more uncomfortable moment than that one?" Bella asked in disbelief, though she was relieved at least, that the two guys were able to laugh about it now. "When? Surely not since Renesmee was born?"

Having composed himself, unlike his fellow joker, Edward replied. "No, it occurred before Renesmee was born, Love."

"Did you ever tell me about it?" Bella asked, wondering whether she had forgotten the memory since she had transitioned.

"You better not have!" Jacob asserted playfully, though I could tell he would have been hurt had Edward disobeyed his request for secrecy all those years ago.

"No, I didn't," Edward reassured Jacob immediately, and I could tell he was being honest.

"Well what happened? I could use a laugh," Renesmee said, her heart racing because she always loved to hear stories of any conversations or situations Jacob and her parents got themselves into before she was born.

Jacob walked over to Ness and wrapped his arms around her from behind, and then kissed the top of her head. He then looked up at Edward, and suggested:

"I think you better tell them, I don't think I'll be able to talk about it without either laughing or cringing every two seconds."

Edward chuckled. "So you're actually giving me permission to talk about it now?" he confirmed, a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, though if you get the feeling that it will scar them for life, I give you permission to stop!" Jacob exclaimed. Edward's smile was huge as he shook his head.

"If _we_ managed it, I am certain _they_ can."

"Sure, sure, I'll leave it up to you to decide," Jacob brushed it off, knowing that Edward would know what his wife and daughter could handle.

"Very well then," Edward conceded, and then began his narration.

"So, as you both know, about one and a half years before Renesmee was born, Jacob was bitten by Victoria."

Both of the women nodded their heads.

"As you are aware, Jacob stayed with us during his recovery, which took roughly three days. He had a few symptoms from the venom, but essentially made a full recovery. However, I don't believe," Edward paused to quickly check with Jacob, "that we ever told you what those symptoms were?"

Before Jacob could answer via his thoughts or otherwise, Renesmee informed her father:

"I know about the nightmare he had, and his vomiting episodes."

"Ah, well those were the two most… _problematic_ symptoms," Edward explained to his daughter. "However, on one night, and it only lasted for a night, Jacob had a dangerously high temperature. By that stage, his body was struggling to fight off the venom, which resulted in a fever that needed to be lowered as soon as possible."

"And I still reckon there were _so_ many other ways it could have been done," Jacob spoke up, as he shook his head. "I still can't believe Carlisle even suggested it."

Edward laughed. "Neither could I, but I was not about to question him."

"No, I suppose you'd have to be stupid to do that- it worked after all, so I shouldn't be complaining," Jacob acknowledged, though I could feel that even the memory of that night made him feel highly embarrassed and vulnerable even now.

I remember being downstairs in the living room that night, and even I couldn't believe what Carlisle was suggesting. I almost had to leave our house on that occasion because they both felt so vulnerable. It was intense, and I would not have been able to be any closer to them without wanting to stop them myself. But I honestly didn't think Edward would manage to convince Jacob to go through with it. Something about the way Edward was able to communicate with Jacob was special though, and I sensed from Jacob at the time that while he strongly objected to what Edward was suggesting, he felt safe, albeit vulnerable. And now, in retrospect, Jacob appreciated the extent to which Edward went to help him. It was ironic that their differences, although opposites, allowed Edward to assist in Jacob's recovery from his fever.

"So what actually happened?" Renesmee persisted, highly eager to hear the rest of the story.

Edward turned to Jacob.

"Nup, I'm not going to be able to say it, Edward," Jacob insisted, already on the verge of laughter. Renesmee looked up at her husband, her eyes undoubtedly begging him to talk about it. Jacob bent down to kiss her nose, but otherwise couldn't bring himself to speak. And even from where I was standing, I could feel echoes of Jacob's vulnerability invading him a little.

Edward sighed, his crooked smile appearing on his lips.

"Carlisle felt that a cold shower, being covered with ice, or having the air conditioner on would not be enough to reduce Jacob's temperature for long, as the water would warm on his skin, the ice would melt, and the air conditioner would take too long to cool down the room to an appropriate level. So, given the resources at hand, there was only one other option…" Edward tantalisingly trailed off, leaving Bella and Renesmee to work out the answer.

They both stood there in silence as they contemplated the possibilities.

Renesmee was the quickest, probably because she is more readily exposed to the coldness of vampire skin, than her mother. I could tell she had worked it out when she gasped and her eyes widened.

"Am I right Daddy?" she asked Edward. Who laughed modestly and nodded.

"What? What is it?" Bella demanded.

"Well Mom, you know how cold your skin is compared to Jake's? So Dad must've-"

"Hugged him for a while?" Bella asked confused, wondering how that was any different to what they were just doing.

"No, no I don't think so."

"I wish!" Jacob cried.

"Well I imagined them actually lying next to each other while Jake slept…" Renesmee explained, still wondering whether she had the full story.

"Oh God, even _that_ wouldn't have been so bad!" Jacob laughed.

"Carlisle was determined to be cruel," Edward admitted, though of course, we all knew that was never our father's intention. "We _did _lie next to one another, but in doing so, it would only be truly effective if we didn't have shirts on."

Renesmee and Bella burst out laughing, Ness was actually gasping for air.

"You're joking!" she asserted, turning around to look into her husband's face, to see whether he would admit to tricking her.

"Oh man, I wish, Ness. Arghh! Seriously, I can't think of it without remembering every single moment of awkwardness."

"I so don't believe you! Did you actually let Edward _do_ that?" Bella asked, and I could tell she remembered what their relationship was like back then which was exactly why she was questioning it. "I can't believe you allowed it," Bella emphasised again, directing her assertion at Jacob.

"I didn't want to, Bells. When Edward told me to take my shirt off, I thought that seemed like the logical thing to do given how hot I was, but then when I saw he was too… Oh man." And then Jacob started laughing again, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I have never felt so awkward, or so vulnerable in my whole life- ever."

"Me neither, and that's saying something given that I am over one hundred years old," Edward joined in with Jacob's laughter.

Although I couldn't hear my brother's thoughts, I had a feeling that the dream he witnessed Renesmee have three years ago was a near second. His discomfort was so strong on that occasion that when he returned to our house that day, I pulled him aside to find out what was bothering him. He told me, in confidence, what he had witnessed when he and Bella returned home from hunting. To my word, I kept it a secret, even from Alice, and to this day our family still believe that Bella and Edward left their cottage that day to give Jacob the time he needed to tell Renesmee his feelings for her- the dream my niece had and all other details were left out.

This trip down memory lane gave everyone the opportunity to smile, laugh, and escape from their own concerns, guilt, and loss for a while. But then, as it inevitably had to, Jacob and Renesmee needed to go or they would miss their flight. Giving her father a final kiss and hug goodbye Renesmee spoke:

"I'll miss you Daddy," she whispered, her sadness at his loss returning back to her like a ton of bricks.

"I'll miss you too, my Darling. Look after yourself and have a wonderful honeymoon; you deserve it," Edward replied as he kissed his daughter one last time on her cheek.

"I will. Love you Daddy."

"Love you too. Goodbye, Renesmee"

"Bye Daddy."

During this brief time, Jacob and Bella were saying their final quick goodbye with a hug and peck on the cheek.

"Have a great time, Jake. Let us know when you get there," Bella made him promise.

"Of course, I am sure Ness will be eager to give you a call," he said, looking over Bella's shoulder at Edward. "She's going to miss you both so much."

"But she'll have you," Bella reminded her best friend, genuine cheer in her voice. "And we all know she would miss you most out of all of us; you're her other half, she'd be miserable without you."

Jacob chuckled, and then butted his forehead against Bella's. "Thanks Bells. Love you."

"Love you too, Jake."

"See ya."

"Bye Jake, see you in a fortnight."

Bella then took Ness by the arm and ushered her to the car which was at the very end of the driveway. This was my cue to retrieve my family so they could have a final glimpse of the newlyweds before they left us for two weeks.

As I walked back into the house, I saw Jacob and Edward engaged in conversation again. How much could they have to discuss? All I knew was that their emotions were less intense now than they were before, and of that I was grateful.

XXXXXXXXXX

Edward's POV

I watched Bella and Renesmee walk slowly towards the car, their arms around one another's waists as if wanting to prolong the moment of departure. I knew that the moment they left, Bella and I would need a moment to console one another that our little girl had grown up; she would no longer be living with us. It would be difficult to cope without her presence; she had made both of our lives more amazing than we ever could have dreamed. What were we going to do without her?

My train of thought was interrupted by Jacob, who came over and stood next to me.

"As embarrassing as it was, I have to say that it was fun telling them about that moment," he said, and I was glad to hear that those few minutes of laughter seemed to brighten his mood a little.

"Don't you mean, when _I _told them?"

Jacob laughed. "Oh yeah, sorry about that, I just didn't think I could explain it very well when it was so... Anyway, thanks for telling them."

I tilted my head towards him. "You're welcome."

"Did you see Bella's face?" Jacob asked me enthusiastically, and I could see that he loved surprising both Bella and Renesmee with stories from our past. "Can you imagine what she would have said if we told her when she was still human?"

"I don't think she would have believed it," I told him seriously, especially given that she didn't believe it _now _when she could see how close we had become.

"I wouldn't either if it wasn't permanently etched in my brain!"

I raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Well you at least have the _potential_ to forget if you wanted-"

"That's impossible," he told me readily.

"Well it is _literally_ impossible for me," I countered.

"Yeah okay, you win," Jacob gave in, giving me a sympathetic grin.

I clapped the boy on the back, and then grimaced in remembrance of that day eleven or so years ago.

"Man, I really needed a laugh," Jacob told me.

And I agreed with him- it was nice to smile. Those memories would always be there to remind us of what we had… what we'll always have.

Seeing that Renesmee was getting into the car, I decided we had better get a move on and join them.

"You had better go or you and Renesmee will miss your plane. Drive carefully, stay safe, and have fun," I rattled off the usual things fathers say to their children when they go away on holidays, or in this case, their honeymoon.

"We will."

"I trust you, Jacob," I said gently. "Look after her, and look after yourself too."

"You know I will; Ness always comes first."  
>"I am well aware of this, but make sure you <em>both <em>return safely."

Jacob looked at me strangely. _What?_

"My daughter would not be the only one who would miss you," I answered his silent thought.

Jacob turned away from me for a moment. "Thanks Edward," he mumbled as he wiped away a tear from his eye. Then he turned around to face me again, his eyes swimming in tears, though his lips were turned up into a smile. "And thank you again for everything you have done for me- for our house, for accepting and supporting me, and for Nessie. She is so precious to you, and I am so grateful that you are still willing to share her with me after all these years. Your respect means everything to me, you know?"

"I do." I nodded. His emotions were slightly overwhelming me. Nevertheless, I managed to utter:

"Your regard is invaluable to me too."

_You have no idea how much I respect you._

"You know I do," I chuckled, giving Jacob a one armed hug as we began walking towards the car; Renesmee and Bella were waiting for us.

_Ha, yeah I guess. _Jacob agreed, as if he momentarily forgot about my gift.

The rest of my family had just left the house and were trailing behind us; Jasper had held them back until he knew Jacob and I had finished our conversation.

When we reached the car, I said one final time.

"Enjoy your honeymoon, Jacob, and look after her."

"I will, Edward; you know you can trust me," he grinned at me. I laughed at his reminder, and then went to the opposite window to kiss my daughter goodbye.

Bella and I then stood behind the car with the rest of our family. We waved enthusiastically as Jacob drove our daughter away. Nessie leaned out the window and blew kisses to us, and Jacob honked the horn.

"See ya!" Jacob cried out, opening his own window and waving to us from the driver's seat.

And despite all the tears that were shed, and the sadness that we felt, there was happiness too, and as they slowly left the range of my gift, the last thought I heard from them was how blissfully happy they were to have each other, knowing they had such a loving family to come back to. And that's the way it would always be… forever.

XXXXXXXX

Jacob's POV

I collapsed onto my back. My heart was pounding against my chest as I took deep heaving breaths. I closed my eyes; my body and my mind were in pure heaven. There were no words to describe how I was feeling. I was doing my best to make sure that moment stayed in my mind forever. I'm sure it would, but I envied Ness for being able to guarantee it. At least she would be able to remind me if I ever forgot.

I felt Nessie lie down next to me, her breaths coming as fast as mine.

"Oh wow, Jake," she whimpered. I felt the bed disturb as she moved her way towards me, eventually resting her head on my chest, her left hand on my stomach.

'_Wow' doesn't begin to cover it, but it's definitely a start, _I thought to myself, relishing in the warmth of Ness' skin on my own.

My eyes still closed, I lifted up my head so I could kiss the top of Nessie's, and then instinctively wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her even closer to me.

We lay that way for a while, I wasn't sure how long. Ness had rested her hand on my chest and was reliving the most amazing moment of my life; I loved seeing it through her eyes. I have no idea whether she was intentionally showing me or not, but regardless, it was a precious gift to me. I lay there, so at peace with everything, that I didn't realise when Nessie's replay came to an end.

"Jake?" she whispered, sitting up on her elbow. She was wondering whether she had sent me to sleep- now _that_ would be impossible.

"Mmm?" I hummed back, still keeping my eyes closed.

"Are you tired?" she asked me, evidently concerned why I wasn't talking and never said anything when she was using her gift.

"Far from it," I whispered to her, a smile forming on my lips.

"Are you okay? You've been really quiet," Ness checked in with me, her hand rubbing circles on my stomach.

"I seriously don't think I could feel much better than this, Nessie."

My imprint laughed, probably half due to relief and the other due to the compliment I was giving her.

Ness lay back down next to me and snuggled into my side.

A long, musical sigh escaped her lips.

"My life is so perfect; I wish we could stay like this forever."

I nodded my head.

"Me too."

"Well there's no one stopping us from doing that for the next two weeks," Nessie pointed out teasingly.

"That is true, but if we manage to beat what we did just then, I think I might explode," I chuckled. "I love you so much."

"I love you more," Nessie whispered back as she turned around in my arms and pulled herself up so I knew her face was right in front of mine.

I shook my head, my lips in a relaxed smile.

"Not possible," I muttered to her.

Ness paused for a moment, and I wondered what she was thinking about. My eyes were still closed, so I couldn't see her face, the only thing I was certain of was that she hadn't moved.

"Look at me," she eventually whispered, her thumbs stroking my jaw.

I opened my eyes and immediately found Nessie's. We gazed at each other for a while, which allowed me to study every line on her beautiful face, the way her gorgeous hair fell in front of her, her little nose, her smooth milky skin, and her chocolate brown eyes which were swimming in tears… just like mine were.

"I love you just as much as you love me," she sang to me, "because I couldn't live without you, just like you couldn't live without me."

"I know," I told her, looking quickly between her two eyes, worried that I had made her upset. "I just can't imagine anyone being able to love another person more than I love you."

Ness laughed. "I can't imagine it either." She then lowered her face towards mine, and I ached for her lips as she slowly moved towards me.

When our lips met, I revelled in her scent. But we were both exhausted; we had had a long couple of days. So after a few glorious moments of passionate kisses and tempting touches, Ness curled up next to me again, resting her head on my chest so she could hear my frantic heart beats.

"Could you show me again?" I asked Ness, my fingers running through her hair. Nessie pressed her lips to my chest, and then trailed her fingers up and down my abs as she showed me, for the second time that night, the first time we'd made love.

We weren't far into the memory when I began to chuckle quietly. It was so inappropriate given the moment, but I couldn't help it.

Ness stopped using her gift, and then sat up on her elbow so she could see my face. She didn't ask me anything, but her inquisitive expression, and knitted eyebrows told me how she was feeling.

"I'm sorry," I immediately apologised. "But I just remembered." I then gave a single bark of laughter. "Did you hear what your uncles said to me when I thanked them for the house?"

No doubt Ness was horrified that I was even thinking of her uncles when she was showing me the most amazing moment of our lives, but I hoped she would soon understand why I brought it up.

"Oh, no, what did they say? I must've been too caught up thanking everyone to have heard."

"Ha, well that's probably a good thing; I was so embarrassed and your father was right there!"

"Oh my gosh, what did they say?" she pressed me, looking both amused and a little horrified knowing that this could not be good.

"Well," I began, a huge grin on my face, "apparently the frame of our house is rendered with steel, and our bedroom is sound-proof."

Ness stared at me in disbelief. "You're kidding!"

"Ha, no, I wish I was; I swear I must've been red with embarrassment."

"Well…" Ness fidgeted a little nervously. "It's probably for the best given what we just did."

I laughed out of pure glee.

"God it was amazing. _You_ are amazing."

"Was it everything you hoped for?" she asked me shyly, even though I was certain she _must_ have known my answer.

"Infinitely better."

"Who needs dreams when I've got you?"

"Aww Ness," I murmured into her ear, as I hugged her to me. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Ness lay back down, her head resting on my chest, her naked body pressed up to my side. I didn't think it was possible to feel so happy or so content with life as I did in that moment. Together we lay side by side, sleep quickly taking us after travelling most of the day. Our first night sleeping together as husband and wife: I was in unimaginable bliss.

Ness was right; everything was perfect.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note: And that's it! But before you hurt me, I promise to write an outtake for when Ness and Jake return, so you can see their house with them! I may also write an outtake depicting what happened at the Cullens once Ness and Jake drove away. There are reasons why I am not writing about their future beyond this, which I will explain in a moment.

But about this chapter: for those of you who really wanted to see Bella's reaction to the fever scene: You have it! And you have Ness' reaction too. Though I have to admit, I had the most fun writing Jacob's lines in that scene, because I reckon it is an occasion he will never forget! I hope you liked the exploration of Jasper's POV, as well as the brief POVs from Jacob and Edward- I imagine it was a lot to take in, but I hope you enjoyed it! What did you think of Jacob's emotions? Was it a little too much? It may make more sense with the outtake, but I thought it may have been interesting seeing things from Jasper's perspective for a change, where the reasons for emotions are not always clear.

I will write an outtake of the conversation/moment Jake and Edward shared during Jasper's perspective in this chapter. As mentioned above, I will also write an outtake consisting of the moment Jake and Ness see their fully completed, Alice-approved house, and Edward/Bella's reaction to their daughter leaving (now that they are alone).

But this is the end of 'Trust me' as a story. However, there are quite a few outtakes from the epilogue that I will be writing- ones I didn't want to put into the story itself because it would just be very long (the wedding reception would last over four chapters or so!). So I only left in what was necessary and will write the rest as outtakes. So I hope you don't mind. I will be posting other outtakes in the coming year too (I have plans for 14 outtakes altogether, some of them longer than others), but essentially this story has come to an end :(

Thank you all so, so, so, _so_ very much for sticking with this story to the end, for being such amazing reviewers, and for shaping some of my later chapters (such as the scene where Bella found out about the fever moment- that was all you guys!) :) You are the best readers an author could ever ask for, so thank you! If you have some time, please, please go back and vote for all the chapters (if you haven't already), because that would be _wonderful_ (I know some of you forget when you're reading through, but it would be awesome if you could go back now! :P).

If any of you are interested in Harry Potter (Severus in particular), please feel free to read my other stories. My general writing style is as such that I create quite emotionally intense scenes between various characters (as you would have gathered from 'Trust me'), as well as some really touching moments too. So if you enjoy that, I hope you will read my other stories (I know so many of you already have, so thank you!).

But if you want to read something Twilight related, I have a couple of recommendations for you while you wait for my outtakes:

The primary reason (and this is the truth) why I will NOT be writing a sequel to 'Trust me' is because I found a story a couple of years ago that depicts Ness and Jake's future EXACTLY how I thought and hoped it would be. So other than adding in some more Jake/Edward moments, my story would essentially be the same as hers. I seriously would be risking copyright if I wrote a sequel because her story is _that_ good, and _that_ close to my own hopes for these characters, that it would be a waste of time for me to write a sequel. So the story I am referring to is here on . The story is called: 'All Grown Up: The story of Jacob and Renesmee' and the author is VanessaWolfe724. This is also (if you ever wondered) the reason why I didn't write the actual wedding itself or the dates Jake/Ness go on is because _she_ does it so well.

Her story can be found here: .net/s/5803097/1/All_Grown_Up_The_Story_of_Jacob_and_Renesmee

But a few important notes/reminders about her story:

****Firstly, and it's a big one: her story does have adult content, mainly explicit sex scenes between Jake/Ness, which the author refers to as 'lemons'. But she writes these scenes in a mature way that really reflects the love Jake/Ness have for each other, so it really becomes a part of the story line, and accurately depicts the progression of their relationship. So I don't think it detracts from her story _at all_; she does it very well. But for those who are under 16 (and I know there's a few of you)… well I'm not going to be your mother, but just be aware of the 'lemons'!

****Needless to say (but I will anyway), remember that 'Trust me' never happened in VanessaWolfe's story :P So Edward and Jake, although on good terms, are not really close like my ones are :)

****VanessaWolfe is AMAZING at integrating ALL of the Saga's characters into her story one way or another. Charlie is still around, and even Sue Clearwater makes a few appearances (as do all of the other characters from the pack, including Brady etc who I left out of my story), so she doesn't leave anyone out like I did!

****She stays true to the personalities of all the characters (in my opinion), though she has a different way of writing than I do, she still does it _brilliantly_ (otherwise I wouldn't read her story)!

****Unlike mine, her Ness gradually develops feelings for Jake once she hits puberty, but needless to say, it is still a really good story.

Anyway, if you cannot already tell, I highly recommend the story for those of you who are interested in how Jake/Ness' life continues from here. It is a seriously amazing story with lots of chapters. Her chapters are no where near as long as mine, and I personally find them more manageable to read!

VanessaWolfe knows I am recommending her story to you guys, so if you do review her chapters or chat with her, feel free to let her know how you heard about her story :)

Alternatively (or in addition to!), if you are more interested in the Bella/Edward/Jacob side of things, I highly, HIGHLY recommend CassandraLowery's 'Pinned but Fluttering' which is posted on Wattpad.

.com/2019184-pinned-but-fluttering

It is AMAZING! Although her plot is not in line with the events in canon, I have told her that the events in her story _could _have happened in canon had various things occurred when Bella was younger. I'm not going to give away the plotline because that would just ruin it, but I really recommend you give it a read! I love her story because it is a thriller/mystery where the wolves and the Cullens are a bit 'darker' than canon. The story is written from Bella's perspective, which Cassandra does to a 'T' by the way! Amazing! I think I tell her that in all of my comments to her! So it really is an amazing read (if you haven't read it already, I know some of you have) and I SO recommend it.

'All Grown Up' and 'Pinned but Fluttering' would have to be my most favourite Twilight fics EVER. I literally cheer when one of them updates. So if you ever want to chat about either one of these stories, feel free to message me!

So thank you once again for reading my story and getting all the way through this note; I so appreciate it. I know there are some of you out there who are reading, but haven't reviewed much. Given this is the last chapter, I would SO love it if you could just drop me a review and say hi, and let me know what you thought of the ending. It would mean the world to me!

Thanks again! Take care everyone, and chat to you soon!

Bee xo


	31. Introduction to the Outtakes

Author's note: Hi everyone! I posted the introduction (see below) as a new story and wondered why no one was reading it! Then i realised you all probably have story alerts but not author alerts. Anyway, i recommend you go to my profile, click on my newest story 'From another point of view' and then subscribe to story alert, so you will know when i post up the first outtake. I am merely posting this introduction here so you guys can see it and know it's there :) But this will definitely be the last 'chapter' i post on 'Trust me'. All outtakes will be posted as chapters on my new 'story' titled 'From another point of view'.

So take your pick as to whether you read the introduction to the outtakes here or on my new story. I hope to hear from you all soon!

WARNING: This introduction contains Spoilers from 'Trust me', and will not make sense to anyone who has not read it. Therefore, if you have not read or completed reading 'Trust me', I encourage you to stop reading this Introduction, and return to my profile where you can read the story these outtakes were drawn from.

But thank you so much for your interest in my outtakes! I hope you will return soon ;)

If you want to suggest an outtake you would like me to write, please send me a message outlining your idea, and I will tell you whether it is on my list or not. You never know, I might love your suggestion! :)

Disclaimer: Portions of this story, including characters and minor plot points belong to Stephenie Meyer. However, a majority of these outtakes were completely derived from my own imagination as they are taken from my fanfic story: 'Trust me'. Therefore, the plot lines and dialogue depicted in this story _are_ of my own creation, and are _not_ to be copied/pasted onto other websites or used without my _expressed written permission_. Therefore, all rights to this story are my own (with much thanks to Stephenie for creating such a wonderful world), so please don't plagiarise my hard work :) Thank you!

From another point of view (outtakes from 'Trust me')

Introduction 

Before you guys get too excited, just letting you know that this post is _not_ an outtake, merely an introduction to the outtakes, as well as a list of all the outtakes I plan to write.

For those who have read 'Trust me', thank you for taking a look at the outtakes! I really hope I will be able to create some interesting alternative perspectives for you!

Please note that I have _not_ written any of the listed outtakes (see below), _except_ for two of the later ones. Given that I intend to upload outtakes in chronological order (in line with the events in 'Trust me'), it will be a while before I post up the first outtake (sorry!). But I thought I would take this opportunity now to inform you guys which outtakes I plan to write. This will also give you the opportunity to _suggest _any outtakes you would like to read before I post up the first outtake on the list (in case your idea occurs before my first outtake, in the chronological sense).

Now, in saying this, I unfortunately won't be able to make an outtake for everyone's suggestions. I will only take up an idea if I can think of an interesting 'twist' to it. Ie. There needs to be something substantially different about this new perspective compared to the one used in 'Trust me'. So I hope that seems fair?

There are thirteen outtakes I will definitely write (listed below), so there is room to write, say another two? But at the same time, I am perfectly happy to stick with these thirteen, but if you have any good ideas, _please _let me know, because I am writing these outtakes for you guys :)

Also, as a little side note: I am starting my masters degree in Clinical Psychology this year, so I will not have much time to write. So all I can guarantee is that all of the outtakes will be posted by the end of the year. I'm so sorry I cannot be more precise about the timing! I hope to have all of the outtakes done before this, but I have yet to start my degree so am not sure how busy I will be. I will keep you posted in that regard.

Thank you once again for being such amazing readers! I hope the following list of outtakes will excite you a little- or perhaps a lot? :D

Please review and let me know what you think!

List of Outtakes (in chronological order)

1. 'Because ice would melt'- Edward's POV of the fever scene. I know some of you were interested to read how Edward reacted when Carlisle suggested skin-on-skin contact. And now you'll know!

2. 'Punishment enough'- Rosalie's POV of the chapter 'Don't push me'. This outtake will begin from Jacob's phasing at the Cullen's, to when Jacob leaves and Carlisle is able to complete his 'lecture' of Rose. I imagine this will be quite a long outtake.

3. 'Falling apart'- Jake's POV from straight after the battle with the newborns, to Edward's returning to the room (after him leaving to talk to Jake's family outside) during Carlisle's POV in 'Trust me'.

4. 'My fault'- Edward's POV of the chapter 'Dead man walking'.

5. 'Jacob has imprinted…'- this outtake will be from multiple perspectives showing Edward, Jasper, Alice, and Emmett's reactions to Jake imprinting- exactly where were they when it happened, how they found out, and when Edward's siblings saw Ness for the first time (as I didn't really make this clear in 'Trust me').

6. 'How dare he?' – What Edward witnessed while Renesmee was dreaming. This will be far more detailed than in 'Trust me' as what Edward saw/what Ness dreamed will be described. I plan to do this tastefully, but I honestly will _not_ be offended if you choose not to read this outtake due to its more explicit nature. Nevertheless, I thought some of you may be curious to know what Edward saw.

7. 'Almost letting the cat out'- Instances of when Alice, Emmett, Rose, Esme, Jasper, and Carlisle nearly said something about Jake imprinting on Ness _before _she knew about Jake's feelings for her.

8. 'The unexpected team'- This particular outtake is dedicated to one of my amazing reviewers: ZenNoMai. They love Rosalie and Jacob, and was hoping I would write another friendship-like scene with the two of them (they _loved _the chapter 'Honesty' when Rosalie apologised to Jacob after being cruel to him in the chapter 'Don't push me').

So this outtake is for you (surprise!)!

Thank you for being such an amazing reviewer :)

This outtake will be from Rosalie's POV. I am quite excited about it because it is a side plot that I thought of after ZenNoMai asked whether I could create a Rose/Jake moment. This will _not _be a romantic outtake, but one of friendship and camaraderie. That is all I am going to say, as I want the details of the outtake to remain a surprise ;)

9. 'While we danced…'- This outtake will take place at the wedding reception. Again, there will be multiple perspectives, as each of the Cullens tells us what happened when they danced with either Ness or Jake.

10. 'The silent goodbye'- Edward's POV when he and Jake are saying goodbye during Jasper's POV in part III of the epilogue. This outtake has already been written.

11. 'The Talk'- this outtake was actually in the original epilogue (part III), but I decided to leave it out because I thought it was slightly out of Edward's character. But it was _really _fun to write, so I thought you guys might like to read it! This is the other outtake that has already been completed. It is from Edward's POV, and you can probably gather from the title what the conversation is about :P

12. 'Our little girl'- Bella's POV of what happened back at the Cullen's house after Ness and Jake left for their honeymoon.

13. 'Our home'- The moment when the Cullens and pack members show Jake and Ness through their new home. They will both be in for a shock! I plan to write this from Esme's perspective (as she is the only Cullen not to have a POV in 'Trust me').

So how do these sound? If there were any outtakes you were hoping to see, or any I promised you guys (but have forgotten), please let me know! I would be really interested to hear of any scenes you would like to see from another character's perspective, so please don't be scared to leave me a review with your suggestions :) You never know; I might like your idea! Any ideas I do include in this collation of outtakes, will of course be acknowledged, and will be added to the list.

Thank you again for being such amazing readers! I promise to upload each outtake once I have finished writing it. Updates will probably be inconsistent though, but I will try to keep you updated as best I can.

Thank you for reading this introduction to 'From another point of view'!

I appreciate ALL of you SO, SO much!

I can't wait to read your reviews and suggestions :D


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